Healthier and more sustainable school feeding systems

Schools have been recognised as a decisive setting for child health, learning and long-term wellbeing. In response to rising rates of childhood overweight and obesity in the Caribbean, driven by increased consumption of ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, countries are acting to ensure access to nutritious meals and health-promoting school environments.

In this context, the national conference has brought together over two days public authorities, civil society organisations and technical partners to advance towards a National School Nutrition Policy. The meeting has enabled the sharing of good practices, the co-design of concrete actions and the agreement of priority steps to strengthen national school food environments.

The conference has provided a platform to align policies, standardise the quality of school meals, incentivise sustainable procurement and protect educational institutions from undue commercial influence.

The event has been held in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis and has aimed to strengthen the national school nutrition policy and its implementation through cross-sector dialogue and the exchange of experiences.

Permanent Secretary Mr Curtis Martin has highlighted that the forum has offered a key opportunity to build a unified and practical approach among the different ministries involved. He has pointed to challenges such as the proliferation of ultra-processed foods and unequal access to healthy meals, and has stressed that sustained progress has required strong legal frameworks, clearly defined responsibilities and effective cross-sector coordination.

For his part, the representative of the Delegation of the European Union to Barbados has reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to strengthening food security and nutrition in the region. The conference has worked on the development of a national roadmap through a comprehensive review of the state of school nutrition in both Saint Kitts and Nevis. He has also reiterated that focusing action within the school environment has been key to ensuring a lasting impact on the health of future generations.

Latoya Matthew-Duncan, Nutrition Surveillance Coordinator at the Ministry of Health, has underscored the strategic importance of investing in school nutrition. She has reinforced the need to strengthen nutrition standards, close regulatory gaps and consolidate collaboration among the health, education and agriculture sectors. She has also noted that developing a policy has been only the first step and that its effective, well-resourced implementation has been essential to achieving tangible change, including opportunities to link school feeding programmes with local smallholder agriculture.

The conference has featured plenary presentations and regional case studies, as well as technical sessions focused on school meal nutrition standards, sustainable public procurement, the commercial determinants of health and practical tools to identify and manage conflicts of interest. Civil society representatives have contributed examples of community engagement and accountability mechanisms that have helped strengthen the process.

Participants have worked in multidisciplinary groups organised around priority thematic areas: public policy and institutional coordination, awareness-raising and stakeholder engagement, conflict of interest management, and monitoring and evaluation. As a result, the working groups have produced a consolidated draft national roadmap.

Child nutrition has been recognised as a fundamental pillar for learning, growth and equal opportunities. By aligning policies, protecting schools from commercial influence and investing in sustainable, locally grounded school feeding systems, the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis has taken a decisive step towards a healthier and more equitable future for its children.