I am responding to a letter written by Dr Anton Cumberbatch which appeared on Friday's Guardian, congratulating the Prime Minister on getting it right for linking imported food and ill health.
While I agree that imported packaged foods from the "developed" countries are filled with several forms of preservatives, salts, antibiotics and hidden bad fats, locally produced foods also contribute to obesity and chronic diseases since they contain the same sort of ingredients. One has to therefore look at the attitude of citizens towards food and how change could take place.
Restaurant chains such as McDonald's, Wendy's, KFC, Chuck E Cheese's are allowed to proliferate in this country. I am sure they utilise ingredients/ produce from Trinidad in addition to using their imported ingredients which are labelled as being unhealthy.
Preserves like sweet/sour mangoes and plums that are made by the small entrepreneurs to sell to all and sundry contain excessive salt and yes, preservatives. Locally grown vegetables are laced with chemicals (cancer causing) before they reach the consumer; those who sell their pastry pies, doubles/ saheenas etc, which are filled with unhealthy fats are all guilty of producing unhealthy foods for our poor nation.
Several food companies in Trinidad have been producing preserved turkeys, hams, beef, sausages and hot dogs; soda, fruit and alcoholic beverages also contribute heavily to obesity given the huge amounts of sugar present in the contents. We will leave the effects of alcohol, which is also a culprit in chronic diseases, for another time.
It is clear that both local and foreign produced foods contribute to obesity and chronic diseases in T&T. So how do we move forward?
If one is truly interested in the well-being of our citizens perhaps the following recommendations should be considered:
�2 Restrict the plethora of international fast food companies from setting up shop in the country
�2 Implement dietary guidelines for our citizens (I believe the Ministry of Health had started working on one in 2015)
�2 Educate citizens about healthy eating habits
�2 Introduce gyms in ministries and encourage large conglomerates to do so
�2 Ensure exercise as part of the education curriculum
Change takes time but we have to start at the crux of the problem rather than plastering sores as governments love to do. In closing I have to reiterate that locally produced foods can also contribute to ill health but change in attitude is imperative.
F Khan
Curepe