As we near the 20th Anniversary of the 2007 CARICOM Port of Spain Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), regional health leaders say the pace of progress toward controlling and preventing NCDs continues to be slow.
On May 7th, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) along with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission held a webinar on May 7th where some of the top health professionals were invited to share their views on how to develop healthy food policies throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
Only Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, and Grenada have implemented the necessary healthy food policies to reach PAHO’s NCD Targets by 2025. However, countries such as The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, and St. Kitts and Nevis can still reach these same targets if there is rapid action taken.
During the summit, PAHO Advisor Dr. Gloria Giraldo emphasized the large negative impacts that diet related illnesses have had upon national developments and individual health systems. She cited multiple factors contributing to many of these challenges including; trade agreements, food insecurity, and climate vulnerability. Using data from the PAHO Enlace Portal Dr. Giraldo illustrated the relationship between diets that consist of high amounts of high calorie/processed foods/fats/sugar/salt and low levels of fruits and vegetables and increased rates of premature death, specifically in the English speaking Caribbean.
Dr. Heather Armstrong CARPHA Head of Chronic Disease and Injuries reiterated Dr. Giraldo’s points when she said that there needs to be greater effort placed into implementing/enforcing policy in regards to chronic disease prevention. Dr. Armstrong stated that policy efforts continue to be slowed down/uniformly enforced across the Caribbean.
Another important focus was the welfare of children. Data shared by Mrs. Sisera Simon from the OECS Commission showed that a significant number of young people within the region suffer from food insecurity.
According to data compiled from 67,000 children a staggering 85 percent of kindergarten to grade two students, 81 percent of grade three to six students, and 35 percent of form four to five students do not eat an essential meal prior to attending school.
Several countries presented proactive actions to address these issues. In The Bahamas, the government has removed VAT from all unprepared foods such as fresh produce. Additionally, The Bahamas’ government has established a National School Breakfast Program providing meals for approximately 20,000 students.
Other countries represented included Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. All three countries shared their respective School Nutrition Policies which include programs such as; greenhouse farming, vendor collaborations, and “cool school tours”. Addressing Commercial Determinants of Health (CDoH) – or in other words the competitive financial incentives and commercial interests that influence public health decisions – was also a main topic during the event.
Research Fellow Dr. Miriam Alvarado noted that residents of Latin America and the Caribbean drink significantly more sugar sweetened beverages than residents globally. Therefore, she urged governments to establish sugar sweetened beverage taxes to provide funding for health promotion.
One example of such taxation is the Special Consumption Tax (SCT) recently passed in Jamaica. According to Jamaica’s Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. The Honorable Christopher Tufton despite opposition from industry stakeholders, “the poor are currently suffering most from the consumption of sugary drinks…which result in illness”. Tufton also stated that a working group is reviewing additional regulations regarding syrups, packaged powders, and “bag juice”.
International viewpoints provided a model for successfully countering the resistance of commercial stakeholders. Dr. Mauricio Toro who was instrumental in establishing Colombia’s Junk Food Labeling Law stated that scientific evidence is insufficient to mobilize political will. He emphasized that strong narrative-based advocacy as well as robust civil society support are required for advancing public health legislation amidst commercial opposition.
To ensure that existing momentum is maintained, HCC Executive Director Mrs. Maisha Hutton cautioned that unless checked by policymakers, CDoH could effectively counteract previous policy successes. Hutton then introduced new HCC resources/tools developed to assist policymakers in identifying potential conflict of interest as they seek to enact policies which save lives.