Efforts to improve the quality of food available to children were highlighted at a policy dialogue focused on strengthening healthier food environments through home-grown school meals.

The event was officiated by Minister for Health and Medical Services, Dr Atonio Rabici Lalabalavu, and marked the launch of the Home-Grown School Meals Policy Brief developed under the Colour My Plate initiative.

Representatives from government, academia, civil society and development partners attended the dialogue to consider the recommendations outlined in the policy brief and discuss practical ways of putting them into action.

Presentations were delivered by WorldVeg and Dikoda, before Dikoda and the Consumer Council of Fiji jointly presented the policy brief.

A panel discussion, titled “From Policy Brief to Implementation – Scaling Home-Grown School Meals in Fiji,” further examined how the recommendations could be implemented and expanded.

Stakeholders stressed that creating healthier food environments will require collaboration across the food system, linking nutrition, education, agriculture and consumer well-being to improve access to nutritious food for children.