DepEd to ensure healthy food in schools and offices
BENT on promoting the long-lasting benefits of a healthier diet and improved eating habits of students, teachers and personnel, the Department of Education (DepEd) issued an order outlining the policy and guidelines on healthy food and beverage choices in schools and DepEd offices.
DepEd Order 13 aims to encourage and develop healthy eating habits among the youth and employees by making available healthy, nutritious, and affordable menu choices, and for setting food standards.
The order outlines the guidelines in evaluating and categorizing foods and drinks as well as in selling and marketing of foods and beverages in schools and DepEd offices, including the purchasing of foods for school feeding.
To ensure a shift towards healthier food consumption and dietary energy balance, each school shall develop their own healthy menu ensuring that the foods and drinks offered are nutritious, affordable, and compliant with food standards and canteens in schools, learning centers and DepEd offices should not sell foods and beverages high in fat or sugar or sodium according to the Order.
“There is a positive
correlation between what we eat and our physical and mental growth. If we have an obese or malnourished school population, we expect higher rates of absences and eventually drop outs,” said DepEd - CAR assistant regional director Soraya Faculo.
“Our school canteens need to offer healthy food and drinks for our students and to also include food out of our indigenous products,” Faculo expressed.
Based on the policy, there are three categories of food products that must be observed. Foods and drinks under the green category should always be available in the canteen since they are the best choices as they contain a wide range of nutrients and are generally low in saturated and trans fat, sugar and salt like unsweetened milk, safe and clean water, corn, oatmeal, boiled cassava or kamoteng kahoy and sweet potato or kamote, among others.
The yellow category, on the other hand, includes foods and drinks that should be served carefully since they contain some nutrients but at the same time also contain large amounts of saturated fats, trans fats, sugar, and salt. Among the examples given under the yellow category are the processed foods such as hotdogs, sausage, burger patties, chicken nuggets, and tocino.
Food and drinks not recommended in the canteen menu falls under the red category not only because they contain high amounts of trans fat, sugar or salt but also they can provide excess energy or calories.
Soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, sports drinks or energy drinks, powdered juice drinks, deep fried foods including fish balls, kikiams, French fries, instant noodles, and all types of heavily salted snacks such as chips or chichiria are all included under the red category.
“For this endeavor to succeed, we seek the help of our stakeholders like the local government units especially in regulating or limiting the marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks within at least 100-meter radius of schools and we also urge our parents to provide their children with healthy baon and for our canteens to make safe drinking water readily available,” added Faculo.
In addition, the same order prohibits any form of marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages in schools and in DepEd offices like advertising, sponsorship, and promotion. However, schools and offices may allow support of food and beverage manufacturers that meet the criteria of the policy as part of their corporate social responsibility program provided that it shall not include any form of marketing activities or bear any brand name or logo.