2024 in review: Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC)
The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) rolled out two significant campaigns this year.
Read below to find out more about them.
See the Truth - Healthy Caribbean Coalition and Partners’ Regional Digital Campaign tackling industry interference
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Front of Package Warning Labelling Regional Standard Process began in 2018. Since the inception of the Standards Process, some actors in the ultra-processed food and beverage industry — supported by the wider private sector industry in the Caribbean — have become overpowering actors in this healthy food policy decision making process opposing the octagonal front of package warning labelling system which has proven to be nine times more effective at helping consumers quickly, correctly and easily identify foods high in sugar, sodium and fats. They have deployed a number of interference tactics which not only significantly delayed the approval process, but weakened the front-of-package labelling Standard.
The See the Truth regional digital campaign, launched in January 2024, intended to advocate for healthy food policies like the Octagonal Warning Labels, and build support for the implementation of measures to safeguard policymaking processes by highlighting industry interference tactics deployed during the front-of-package labelling decision making process.
The campaign includes 1 video and 4 graphic cards and creatively highlights industry tactics and the truth behind their playbook.
Campaign partners include the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados and the Heart Foundation of Jamaica.
Youth advocates from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago also highlighted industry tactics that they have observed in their own spheres of public health work. An advertorial highlighting their observations was published in newspapers across the region.
Hope for the Future - Caribbean youth are demanding healthier school food environments
In February 2024, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and Healthy Caribbean Youth (HCY) organized "Caribbean Youth Voices in Health Advocacy Spaces – Healthy Food Policy Action,” in partnership with the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN), the Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ), The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB), and UNICEF Jamaica. This three-day health policy-focused youth meeting added momentum to the efforts aimed at empowering the region's youth to advocate for the implementation of Healthy Food Policies, including octagonal front-of-package nutrition warning labeling and restricting the availability and marketing of unhealthy products in school settings. Over 50 young people attended this event.
Emerging from this meeting, youth attendees decided to execute a region-wide activity - Hope for the Future - to highlight their support for comprehensive school nutrition policies that addressed the sale and marketing of ultra-processed products in and around schools.
On July 3 and July 5 2024, youth advocates in The Bahamas and Montserrat, respectively, participated in Hope for the Future.
Dr. Tiffannie Skerritt, CARICOM Youth Ambassador for Montserrat, led the charge locally, gathering together key stakeholders such as health practitioners, youth leaders and civil society organization representatives to discuss the concerning rise in childhood obesity and NCDs in Montserrat as well as strategies to build a healthier environment, including a healthier school food environment.
Healthy Caribbean Youth members and members of the Healthy Bahamas Coalition led an engaging panel discussion in Rawson square in close proximity, symbolically, to the National Parliament Building. A panel of predominantly youth leaders shared the current challenges they face in navigating their school food environment and their vision for an environment where the healthy choice is the easy choice.
However, other country teams across the region had to postpone their activities to September 2025 given the passage of Hurricane Beryl. The shift in timing provided an opportunity to align the Global Week for Action “time to lead” messaging with the youth’s call to action.
On September 25 2024, youth from across the Caribbean hosted similar events calling our regional leaders to lead, putting youth first.
Dominica held an awareness activity at one of the largest secondary schools on the island facilitating a lively discussions with the country’s chief nutritionist within the Ministry of Education and youth advocates on the importance of healthy eating for both human and planetary health.
St. Lucia developed videos to sensitize the public to the importance of Healthy Diets and making them more accessible via Farm-to-Table/School interventions and the implementation of School Nutrition Policies and broader, complimentary suite of evidence-based healthy food policies.
Jamaica hosted a forum which provided youth with an opportunity to share their perspectives on the urgent need to finalize the pending School Nutrition Policy. The event featured key interventions from partners and amplified student perspectives on the importance of the pending School Nutrition Policy. It also served as a launch of an Open Letter to the Ministry of Education and Youth to urgently finalize the national school nutrition policy.
Barbados held their event at a local primary school with interventions from an array of visionaries who shared the importance of healthy school food environments and fostering healthy behaviors at an early age. Visionaries included student and youth speakers, including those with lived experiences, medical students and canteen operators. The event also provided a platform for Honorable David Ishamel, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness and Dr. Ramona Broadshaw, Chief Education Officer, Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training to reflect on their commitments made to supporting healthy school food environments and actions to fully implement the School Nutrition Policy.
Grenada led their activity at a local primary school. The activity facilitated hearty discussion on Healthy School Environments, guided by a presentation from the GFNC and followed by a discussion with the students centering on their reflections and recommendations for healthier school environments.
Trinidad and Tobago held a Youth Health Advocacy Forum. The event aimed to build awareness of the risk factors and burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Trinidad and Tobago, promote dialogue around healthy food environments in schools, gain support for the implementation of a national school nutrition policy and gather perspectives on the school food environments and youth-informed solutions from current students/youth.
Antigua and Barbuda facilitated a lively discussion on the importance of healthy eating and the role of policy in supporting healthy school food environments.
On August 14th, in commemoration of International Youth Day, youth advocates and stakeholders from across the Caribbean hosted an Instagram Live discussing the topic further.
CSO and Youth-led efforts in support of comprehensive school nutrition policies will continue in 2025.
- Event Webpage (to be updated):
- Media Coverage: The Bahamas at Sunrise (July 1)
- Eyewitness News Bahamas
- ZNS News. Montserrat
- ZJB Radio – Spirit of Montserrat The ZNS Network Alliouagana Express St. Lucia
- The Voice
- Barbados Today - Clampdown on school junk food ‘gaining traction’
- Barbados Today - epaper 1
- Barbados Today - epaper 2
- Instagram reel 1
- Instagram reel 2
- Jamaica Gleaner