Processed meat products banned in schools’ tuck shops |27 August 2018

Processed meat products have been added on the banned list of foods items not to be used by tuck shop operators, the Ministry of Health has announced.

Juddy Jean-Baptiste, a nutritionist at the Ministry of Health, said this during a training workshop for tuck shop operators and staff from primary and secondary schools.

Over 50 tuck shop operators and staff took part in the two-day training workshop to enhance knowledge on their role and responsibilities and also on new developments as regard to the new nutrition guidelines and changes in mindset to cope with new developments in business environment. 

The workshop, which focused more on the tuck shop guidelines 2018, was organised by the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development (MEHRD) and the Ministry of Health in collaboration with Southern Ocean Ship Chandlers, based at Ile Du Port, as the main sponsor of the workshop.

On Thursday, the tuck shop operators and staff had the assistance of several facilitators from the two ministries and the private sector. They discussed several topics such as the role and responsibility of a tuck shop operator, the purpose and the functioning of a tuck shop, take-away guidelines, lease agreement, food hygiene and safety, product marketing and production, coping with changes and developing new business mindset to cope with recession, tax and increase in utilities among other topics.

The training workshop, which is held every two years, is in line with the school’s nutrition policy which dictates the provision of healthy school meals, training of personnel and establishing links with families and school staff as well as evaluation, to address obesity in school children.

According to nutritionist Jean-Baptiste, one in five students are obese, a representation of 25%. She was explaining this year’s new tuck shop guidelines on food and drinks to be sold on school premises. Its composition derives from the traffic light classification system -- green for healthy choices and should be encouraged, amber for careful selection and use with moderation and red which should not be provided and considered not essential.   

Mrs Jean-Baptiste noted that all processed meat, such as burgers, sausages, ham, bacon, luncheon meat, corned beef and nuggets are now banned in tuck shops. Tuck shop operators are being encouraged to use fish products available on the market to prepare school meals.

“We are also getting complaints with regard to tuck shop operators using imported lemon juice to make soft drinks. This is not permitted as it is not fresh juice,” Mrs Jean-Baptiste added, noting that concerns need to be addressed relating to the amount of sugar diluted in fresh juice made by the tuck shop operators. Imported fruit juices are also banned in schools’ tuck shops.

“The idea to ban imported juice is because of its high sugar level content but we’ve had complaints of high sugar level in locally made fresh juice which has to be also addressed,” she said.

Regarding concerns raised by participants on students who enter school premises with all the banned foods and drinks, Mrs Jean Baptiste explained that it is a challenge and they have to continue to educate and sensitise the parents, as they are the ones who provide the money, and the students on the purpose of the school nutrition policy and of its health benefit.

“It’s a concern. Students come to school with all different types of juices and lemonades which are not being sold at the schools’ tuck shops. My challenge is to try and get them to adapt to the types of foods and drinks allowed. They still ask for burgers and so on,” said Jenita Labrosse, a tuck shop operator at Anse Etoile school.

Facilitator Brigitte Labonte, who is also a health promotion coordinator at MEHRD, reminded the participants that they indirectly form part of the management of their respective schools and their contributions help to safeguard the healthy lifestyle of the students.

She said that a similar workshop will be held later for Praslin and La Digue tuck shop operators.

The workshop ended on Friday with visits to Amirantes Fisheries, Providence Industrial Estate and Southern Ocean Ship Chandlers at Ile Du Port.