Roti, Chinese food for students on Monday

Caterers contracted under the School Nutrition Programme are providing 7,300 meals to underprivileged students in the programme on Monday. Roti, Chinese food and baked chicken are among the meals on the menu.

Stacy Barran, CEO of the National Schools Dietary Services – the state agency in the Ministry of Education responsible for the programme, said she and other caterers were concerned about the nutritional needs of the students.

“The children need the food. When the household gets a hamper, the amount of food going to the child is secondary. The breadwinner gets most of the food. The school feeding programme is the best way to ensure the students get their nutrients," Barran told Newsday in an interview on Sunday.

She said she is most concerned about the nutritional value of the food the children would be getting while they are away from school.

The Ministry of Education, in a statement on Sunday, said research has shown that low-income households purchase less food and fewer nutritious foods than higher-income households. This can lead to nutritional problems for family members, especially children who need to be well-nourished for growth and development.

The ministry said data from the region has found that children under five from families at the lowest income levels are much more likely to be underweight compared with children from high-income families.

“During this time of crisis, the high price of food poses a greater problem for many low-income consumers, since a lack of purchasing power deprives a person from access to food, even though food is available.

“Low-income households generally spend proportionately more of their income on food when compared to their total expenditure.”

When schools closed because of covid19, many families of students who were receiving meals from the School Nutrition Programme were given food cards as a form of relief.

Barran said the caterers, wanting to give back to the students they cooked for every day, decided to donate their time and food to provide meals.

Quality assurance officers, zonal managers and the agency’s field staff will visit kitchens to ensure the meals are produced under the usual strict food safety guidelines of the programme.

The programme usually provides government-sponsored meals to children in need for more than 800 schools throughout Trinidad.

The agency has partnered with some Members of Parliament and local government councillors to distribute the meals throughout their communities.

Guidelines to ensure the safe distribution of meals, including measures to prevent the spread of covid19, were given to both the caterers’ delivery personnel and the various MPs and councillor’s offices.