MeCAM applauds FAO, WFP, Germany partnership on diet for school children - NaijaAgroNet

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… Partnership to boost school feed programme

The Media Centre Against Malnutrition (MeCAM) has commended the duo of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) for their joint efforts  to improve the diet of school-aged children, with the support from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).

MeCAM's National Coordinator, Mr. Remmy Nweke gave this commendation at the weekend, saying it would greatly support development of nutrition standards for school meal programmes across the world and Nigeria particularly.

He also pointed out that the partnership would contribute immensely to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including Goals 2, 3 and 4 on Zero Hunger; Good Health and Well-Being; and Quality Education respectively.

MeCAM equally recalls that in many countries school meals represent a significant portion of children’s daily diets, and it is vital that these directly contribute to their nutrition needs. 

MeCAM noted that the initiative known as “School food nutrition guidelines and standards for safeguarding children and adolescents’ right to food” - will produce a new methodology, to aid government stakeholders and institutions develop and implement nutrition standards for healthier and higher quality school meals for children of all ages.

The Centre also agreed that the project will produce guidance for schools to implement hands-on food education strategies, including how to use school meal menus as learning materials in the classroom or how adolescents can use the standards to come up with nutritious meals. Interventions to further improve the school food environment, such as restricting the marketing of sugary beverages in school premises, will also be stimulated.

MeCAM, he said, looks up to project supporting national actors to integrate the new nutrition standards into legislation, through piloting legislative studies and providing capacity development, just as the community ownership will pave the way for the sustenance of the will be promoted at all stages of the process by strengthening, for example, school-level mechanisms with students and parents encouraged to report non-compliance with the nutrition standards.

MeCAM equally noted that the methodology and guidance package will be piloted in two countries, Cambodia and Ghana, to gather direct feedback on their usefulness; both will be then adjusted and finalised through regional and global workshops.

The project is in line with the commitment of support that five United Nations agencies have made towards the global School Meals Coalition and its aim to ensure that every child gets a daily, healthy meal in school by 2030.