A brighter and healthier future lies ahead for Jamaica’s children. After five years of coordinated advocacy efforts by Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ), Jamaican Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN), UNICEF Jamaica and the Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR), the Jamaican Cabinet approved the country’s National School Nutrition Policy in May 2025. Shortly thereafter, the policy was tabled by the House of Parliament in May, making it an official government policy and ready for implementation for the upcoming school term in September.
The National School Nutrition Policy was announced with an expansion of the National School Feeding Programme and will guide how meals are prepared and provided for. The policy is set to be implemented in all primary, secondary and special education schools, covering over 500,000 students. It will ensure students have access to safe and nutritious foods, by limiting the sale of sugary drinks and ultra-processed products (UPPs) in and around schools, mandating nutrition education in the curriculum and supplying 10 percent of produce in school meals from local farmers.
This policy victory comes at a crucial time. Rates of overweight and obesity are climbing, with obesity rates increasing rapidly with age during school years, and iron deficiency anemia remain high especially in adolescents and young females.
The Global Health Advocacy Incubator’s (GHAI) partners have been supporting the adoption of the National School Nutrition Policy for five years, providing reviews and consultation to the Jamaican Government since the initial 2020 draft version of the policy. The policy was slated to be adopted then, however delays required efforts by the partner organizations to convey to decision-makers its urgent need.
Youth advocacy played a critical role in this campaign. JYAN led efforts to mobilize students and youth to support the policy and pressure decision-makers. The organization visited several schools for Health Chats, where they sensitized students and teachers on the importance of proper nutrition, exercise and the need for a strong school nutrition policy. JYAN also reached the public, the media and decision-makers through digital media campaigns, letters to the editor, stakeholder dialogues and an editor’s forum. They were able to raise youth voices and inspire champions for their cause, finding support among the youth, particularly young people from student organizations, rural schools and members of the country’s Youth Parliament.
For its part, HFJ has been providing ongoing technical support to the Ministries of Health and Education, regarding the policy from its conception. The HFJ also engaged a wide coalition of nutritionists, academics and medical professionals to advocate for the National School Nutrition Policy, as one of the key measures needed to address the country’s diet-related non-communicable disease crisis. They conducted communications campaigns to generate media attention and sensitize the public and decision-makers on the health dangers associated with UPPs. In a key moment last September, HFJ, JYAN and UNICEF held the youth-led ‘Hope for the Future’ event—coordinated by regional partner Healthy Caribbean Coalition—where advocates urged policymakers to pass the policy by presenting a joint letter backed by public health and youth groups, which gained coverage in major Jamaican media.
GHAI provided technical support to its local partners throughout this advocacy campaign. GHAI supported partners in submitting recommendations for strengthening the policy by sharing evidence and best practices from other countries. GHAI also helped strategize with partners on media and digital advocacy campaigns, and which tactics to use when navigating the policymaking process and delays.
Moving forward, partner organizations will work closely with decision-makers to ensure the National School Nutrition Policy is implemented in an effective and timely manner, including advocating for additional regulations to ensure compliance and the highest nutritional standards. These will include blanket restrictions on the marketing of UPPs in schools as well as vending regulations. Currently, the policy does not cover new or existing fast-food establishments within 200 meters of schools.
We congratulate our civil society partners and the Jamaican Government for their commitment to the health and wellbeing of Jamaican children. The National School Nutrition Policy will improve nutritious food access for thousands of students, helping them develop their bodies and minds to become healthy adults. We look forward to seeing its swift implementation across the country and the many benefits that it will bring.
