No testing of school meals to prevent chronic diseases

Meals served to schoolchildren are not tested to ensure that they are safe for consumption to prevent the onset of chronic diseases.

Speaking at the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA)/Tobago House of Assembly Public Accountability consultation on Tuesday night, Dr Gloria Edwards-Joseph, Director, Personal Management and Industrial Relations at the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA) said Division of Education was responsible for chekcing the contents and safety of school lunches and not necessarily that of Health “even though it’s a health focus.”

“Recently we had sweet drinks ban, and unfortunately the numbers are supposed to come from the schools in Trinidad and Tobago, but Tobago is the only district without this data since it didn’t submit any information.

“It is embarrassing to go to a meeting and realise we are not submitting numbers but it’s not for Health to do so, it’s for Education,” she said,

Edwards-Joseph also said the testing of sodium in school lunches was to be done in a special lab which was not available in Tobago, and that the only lab that specialises in this testing in Trinidad was not fully functioning.

She was responding to a question posed in the open forum by Tyrone Sealy of Moriah who said noted the alarming increase of diabetes and hypertension in Tobago in 2018. Sealy asked about the testing of sodium in school lunches, noting that data presented at the consultation showed that many who suffer from chronic diseases were in the primary school level.

“The data revealed that diabetes and hypertension still pose problems, especially in kids, where it is becoming more common. The breakfast and lunches that are being served at schools, is there anyone testing them to see the level of sodium in them that these kids eat, since diabetes is a problem in the younger kids.

“Is anybody checking what the school feeding system is providing for our kids to eat? I know the Ministry (of Health) has their policy for catering for school lunches but has anyone been checking sodium content in the food?” he asked.

Last November five students from schools on Tobago East fell ill after eating a meal of rice and curried channa served under the School Feeding Programme.

Speaking at a subsequent Post Executive Council media briefing at the Administrative Complex, Calder Hall, Chief Secretary and Secretary for the Division of Education Kelvin Charles said “Public Health took some samples and it was sent to Trinidad for testing.

“Those samples have not yet been returned but in the meantime, action has been taken and the provider of the lunches has been changed. Until we receive the results of that test, that action will continue.”

Charles had promised to make public a report on the incident.

Newsday Tobago has confirmed that the supplier of the curried channa and rice meal has resume services to the School Feeding Programme, supplying meals to three schools on the island, even without final lab results from Trinidad.