Ministry to Engage Head Chef to Promote Healthy Meal Preparation
By: , February 7, 2024
Photo: Adrian Walker
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, addresses a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) stakeholder forum held on Tuesday (February 6), at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston.
Photo: Adrian Walker
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (left), has the attention of (from second left) Head of the Behavioural Insights Unit, World Health Organization (WHO), Elena Altieri; Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) Representative, Ian Stein; Minister of State in the Ministry of Education and Youth, Hon. Marsha Smith; and Executive Director of the Yale University Research Initiative on Innovation and Scale (Y-RISE) at the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, Dr. Neela Saldanha. Occasion was a PAHO stakeholder forum held on Tuesday (February 6), at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston.The Full Story
The Ministry of Health and Wellness will be engaging a corporate head chef, who will be charged with teaching Jamaicans how to prepare healthy, affordable dishes using local foods.
Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said the move is aimed at promoting healthy eating as part of measures to reduce the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
He said the professional will promote the use of local and easily acessible whole foods, through the development and demonstration of affordable, simple and nutritious recipes.
The corporate chef will be tasked with training hospital chefs and cooks across the health regions, and showcasing healthy meal preparations at schools and community events.
“I envisioned our chef going to schools, meeting with the cafeteria operators, doing displays on television, going into the communities and teaching people to prepare [tasty] meals with little salt and sugar. We are going to have to find very creative ways to get the healthy-eating messages to the society,” Minister Tufton said.
He was addressing a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) stakeholder forum at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston on Tuesday (February 6).
Discussions at the session were focused on the topic ‘A behavioural insights approach to improve nutrition-related behaviours among school-going children in Jamaica”.
Dr. Tufton, in his address, said the Ministry continues to put measures in place to promote wellness in the society, including mental wellness, noting that the country has seen a rise in mental-health challenges since the onset of COVID-19.
“We really have a challenge that we have to respond to as part of our responsibility and duties,” he noted.
He said that behaviour change will be the critical ingredient in reducing the risk of lifestyle diseases and ensuring a healthier nation.
“It is through behaviour change that we are going to enhance the health and wellness of our society. It is not just in the breakthrough of clinical science, as important as that is, not in the number of hospital beds that we have, or the amount of medication that is available,” he contended.