The challenge of raising healthy children

The Ministry of Health recently launched the “Guide to Healthy School Canteens” in line with National Nutrition Month 2026, aiming to improve the nutritional quality of food provided to schoolchildren.

The initiative seeks to ensure that students are provided with nutritious, safe and affordable meals, while promoting healthy eating habits and reducing the consumption of unhealthy food in schools, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

The guidelines focus on five key objectives, including fostering a healthy, non-communicable disease-free generation, improving access to healthy meals, shaping positive dietary attitudes among children, promoting healthy eating practices within society and strengthening hygiene and management standards in school canteens.

This is not the first time that such attempts have been made to ensure that children get healthy food in school canteens and that their school lunches packed from home are also nutritious and wholesome. While the move is welcome, implementation is difficult and is a logistical nightmare for those tasked with following the rules.

This trend towards fast food is more pronounced in cities, where the proliferation of food outlets means parents often pick up the easiest items for children’s lunches, with many opting to give them money to buy food from the school canteen, which also sells fast food.

A recent survey conducted by the Ministry of Health has found that 12% of schoolchildren are overweight, while 3% are obese, primarily due to unhealthy dietary habits. The Director of Nutrition at the Ministry of Health, Specialist Dr. Monika Wijeratne, said the findings are concerning, particularly given the country’s declining population growth rate.

The survey focused on children aged between 13 and 17 years and highlighted significant concerns regarding students’ eating habits.

The survey showed that 17.04% of schoolchildren consume carbonated soft drinks daily, while 28.05% consume high-salt foods, 29% consume high-fat foods, and 41% consume high-sugar foods at least once or more per day.

These statistics are certainly alarming, especially the addiction of children to sugar-based products, be they drinks or other items. The lack of monitoring of colourful sweet drinks that easily lure children is one major concern. Most items sold have sugar levels well above the Health Ministry guidelines for sweeteners. The same applies to instant drinks that come through machines, which far exceed acceptable levels.

Along with obesity among children, Sri Lanka is also seeing an increase in childhood diabetes, and hence keeping sugar consumption in check is extremely important. It is important to educate parents as well on the dangers of excessive sugar consumption.

The Health Ministry notes that advertising is one major issue, as children are tempted towards certain kinds of food and drinks that look attractive but are harmful in the long run. The Ministry said that awareness of the issue exists among many stakeholders, but there is reluctance to adopt the necessary measures.

There have been instances where sponsors withdrew support from school programmes following food regulation changes, raising broader questions about balancing funding needs with children’s nutritional wellbeing.

Hence, the guidelines are a small step, but they alone will not suffice. What is needed is a broader approach involving parents, teachers, as well as producers of harmful products. The health of children is a prime concern as it affects the future generation, and in this effort all stakeholders must work together so that we can raise healthy adults for the future.