EDITORIAL: Fast food restaurants can do better

While a great deal of work has been done to send the message to the local population that healthy eating is a must, further steps must be taken at the national level to encourage our citizens to eat healthy.

We have a burgeoning fast food sector in Barbados that is in no way helping Barbadians in this endeavour and so, perhaps the time has come for us to adopt some of the practices seen in international countries, which put pressure on fast food restaurants to allocate a certain percentage of their menus to healthy meals.

Nonetheless, we recently saw some hope on the horizon, as it was reported that Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley issued a challenge to a local fast food restaurant chain, to add more home-grown items to its menu and thereby help to address the issue of lifestyle diseases on the island.

The Prime Minister is said to have acknowledged that the company has already taken some steps to offer locally grown items, but the suggestion was made that it could do more. Indeed, a number of these local fast food chains make big profits off of the local population and even children and youth in our country. They should now feel compelled, given the rise in chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), to do their part to package meals in a way that are healthier and more appealing to Barbadians and visitors alike. Taste is a big factor when it comes to selling fast food and it is often not very nutritious, but it is high time we get creative and dish out meals that are still tasty, but much healthier than what is currently on offer.

Perhaps Government needs not only give a little nudge, but do more to signal that this whole business of NCDs is being taken seriously. Fast food restaurants should be able to show that a significant portion of what they offer is healthy for the population, given how they operate and the fact that lifestyles are becoming much more hectic and more and more Barbadians, especially the young ones, are frequenting these restaurants.

That said, it is understood that individuals have to be responsible for their own health, given that an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. As such, we must all seek to cut down on salt and sugar, eat more fruits and vegetables, and exercise much more frequently. Indeed, eating healthy, if we make the effort, is not impossible, though it may be challenging.

Now here is where the nutritionists and dieticians come in. Their voices need to be heard more, instructing and advising Barbadians on how they can make healthier, but still tasty meals, using more of our ground provisions and fresh fruits and vegetables.

Barbadians have acquired a taste for fast foods and foreign goods over locally produced products, yes. But with the right push, and with the health benefits advocated, they may be willing to try new things, if it appears to be worth their while. So let us make the whole concept of healthy eating and healthy living more appealing and certainly worth a try. Remember, health is wealth and health and wellness must become a priority for all of us.