No to junk food

By GLENDA AWIKIAK
HEALTH Minister Sir Puka Temu has condemned the sale of junk food in schools, urging parents and guardians to ensure children take fresh and healthy food from home daily.
He said children should not be allowed to buy lunch in school because it exposed them to junk and unhealthy food.
Earlier this year, Education Secretary Dr Uke Kombra had also issued a circular to all schools in the National Capital District to ban the sale of food in and around school premises.
“The sale of food out in the open poses health risks. Parents/guardians are not taking the responsibility to prepare suitable and healthy meals for their children,” Kombra said.
Junk food has been blamed as one of the contributing factors to the poor health of children, with Papua New Guinea ranked the “worst” in the Pacific region in terms of malnutrition.
Sir Puka said that was because PNG children were not being fed well by their parents or guardians.
According to the Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2009/2010, more than 45 per cent of children under five in PNG are stunted (short for age) and 14 per cent wasted (thin).
The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) report stated that as malnourished children became adults, they were more likely to suffer from chronic diseases. Young women, too, may face difficulties during childbirth, including low birth weight babies.
Sir Puka said there must be a lot more awareness and education on nutrition.
He had allocated K2 million in this year’s budget for detailed studies on the causes and risks factors, plus behavioural and cultural patterns.
“We must all take responsibility for the health and wellbeing of our children,” Sir Puka said.
A teacher in Port Moresby who requested anonymity said there had been a lot of children at a school who had developed severe stomach problems after consuming food bought from vendors.
Hanifa Namusoke of Unicef said malnutrition in PNG was not usually about food scarcity but quality.