Goodbye to soda, candy and potato chips in the lunch box, and hello to fruit and veggies.
The “ 5 a day” program targeting overweight and obese adults will also be directed to young. children and their parents.
Diseases like diabetes and heart problems originating in obese and overweight adults, cost the Government ovr $100 million a year. The 5 a day program wants them to have at least five servings a day of fruit and vegetables.
An estimated 31 percent of Panamanian children under five are overweight, and 9 percent of this group suffers from obesity when they enter school, according to the 2008 Standard of Living Survey.
Tthe National Secretariat for Food Security and Nutrition (Senapan) wants children pre-school to high school, to begin including portions of fruits and vegetables in their daily snacks, which will help combat obesity-related diseases.
A total of 95 public schools in Panama and district will participate in the project, with students learning the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables as part of their meals and snacks
Dalba Caballero, Director of Nutrition and Health at the Ministry of Education (MEDUCA), said that school cafeterias and kiosks are currently recommended to sell fruit salad, but MEDUCA aims to make the sale of fruit and vegetables mandatory.
The new rules could be readied this school year and become operational in 2011.
Until then the Panamanian Association of Nutritionists, suggests hat parents stop including snacks, sodas, or candy in lunch boxes.