The initiative brought together key stakeholders from health, education, and community sectors to address issues of nutrition, childhood obesity, and sustainable meal programmes.

The workshop focused on advancing national school meal guidelines, reducing the availability of sugar-sweetened beverages, and implementing policies designed to improve children’s overall well-being.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Jenny Daniel, underscored the importance of investing in children’s nutrition as a public health priority.

“By fostering a nutritious school environment, we are not only preventing the onset of non-communicable diseases, but also laying the foundation for a healthier, more resilient, and more productive society,” she said.

“Proper nutrition is not a luxury. It is a fundamental pillar of health. Children who are well nourished with balanced, wholesome meals grow stronger, think more clearly, perform better academically, and are more likely to realize their full potential as adults.”

From the education sector, Curriculum Specialist Valerie Fletcher highlighted the integral role of schools in shaping lifelong habits.

“The Ministry of Education embraced the concept that healthy bodies nurture bright minds. This is why our collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders in improving school meals, promoting healthier choices, and discouraging the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is so vital,” she explained.

Fletcher stressed the urgency of addressing conditions like childhood obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, which are on the rise in the region. “Schools must become not just centers for academic instruction, but also environments that model and reinforce healthy lifestyles.”

Offering a regional perspective, PAHO Country Specialist Fiona Anthony outlined the organisation’s holistic vision for school food environments.

“The Pan American Health Organization proposes a holistic vision of school, food and nutrition based on food security, nutrition, and health,” she said.

“The goal is to build capacities and improve countries’ ability to adopt public health policies that guarantee healthy environments—meaning environments that enable healthy habits and promote physical activity in schools in the region of the Americas.”

The workshop marks a step forward in Saint Lucia’s broader strategy to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by reshaping how children eat, learn, and live. Stakeholders agreed that healthier schools are critical to building stronger communities and a brighter future for the nation.