Too many young people are dying because of unhealthy choices in food and this is something that Government is concerned about.
Launching the National Policy on Healthy Catering and Sale of Food and Beverages for all Government Ministries and Institutions, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said it was time that all arms of the civil service were actively leading the campaign to eat the right food and live healthy lives.
“I am concerned that more “younger” people are succumbing to Non-Communicable Diseases leaving behind children and surviving spouses to navigate their future on their own,” Rabuka said.
He said young minds who still have so much to offer Fiji were robbed of a long life because of unhealthy living which led to their early deaths.
“The promising careers of some of our nation’s bright young minds have been cut short because of the epidemic of Non-Communicable Diseases. These losses are keenly felt by families, communities, and Vanua, as well as the Government agencies they serve in, and the Nation.”
“As a nation, we invest in our young people’s education, in their health, and their careers in terms of scholarships. For civil servants, the Government invests in your career with mentoring, training, workshops and scholarships,” he added.
Acting Permanent Secretary for Health Dr Jemesa Tudravu said while it would be a costly exercise, it is a necessary one.
“The expectation is that once the policy is in place and implemented the different ministries will work on a budget proportion proposal for each year, they will also look at their catering budget and they utilize effectively the providers,” Dr Tudravu said.
“Expectation is when all the ministries start to dutifully implement the SOP’s or the guidelines, the budget will come down in terms of the allocation for catering at events.”
The launch also marked the beginning of a 2-day Train the Trainers workshop for those from different ministries who will be overseeing the implementation of this initiative.
