ADMITTING that there has been a noticeable increase in promotions at fast-food restaurants, acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacqueline Bisasor-McKenzie says the Ministry of Health is working to ensure that the healthy choice becomes the easier choice for consumers.

She told the Jamaica Observer that the ministry has not conducted a formal assessment to quantify the types of promotions, nor assess their offerings in-depth, but said it is aware of the impact of the marketing of foods on consumers’ choices.

“This is one of the reasons that the Ministry of Health has taken a proactive approach by increasing the health promotion strategies used to market health messages and create a supportive environment for healthy eating,” Bisasor-McKenzie said in an e-mailed response to questions from the Observer.

The acting chief medical officer said the ministry is also planning to engage fast-food restaurants about providing affordable, healthy options for consumers.

Fast-food restaurants have, in recent weeks, introduced several promotions offering consumers various meals at cheaper prices.

However, the ministry is working to counter the impact of marketing on consumer choices.

“Through the Jamaica Moves campaign, the National Food Industry Task Force and the work of partners, mass media, and social media have been engaged in the promotion of health messages related to nutrition and physical activity,” the acting chief medical officer said. “…We continue to raise awareness about healthy food options so that the healthy choice becomes the easier choice.”

She also pointed out that there are some fast-food restaurants that do offer healthy options for their consumers.

While noting that it is too early to find significant behaviour change among consumers due to the ministry’s health promotion efforts, Bisasor-McKenzie said the Ministry of Health has noted “major interest in [the] Jamaica Moves programme as well as an increased awareness around non-communicable diseases and the desired targeted behaviours — increased physical activity, healthy eating and age-appropriate health checks”.

“We have just completed phase one [of the Jamaica Moves campaign], which are the parish launches, and the next phase will see the programme in schools, workplaces and communities. We will be evaluating the campaign as it progresses,” she told the Observer.

The acting chief medical officer explained that the Jamaica Moves programme was launched on April 7, 2017 — World Health Day — at Emancipation Park in Kingston.

“Since then all parishes have launched their Jamaica Moves programme. Each launch has engaged a minimum of 500 persons in education talks, physical activity sessions, healthy food sampling, and health checks. Over 5,000 medical screening tests have been done to date through these fora,” she said.

Bisasor-McKenzie also said that a four-week ‘Get moving challenge’ was launched with 14 Jamaicans who were politicians from both political parties, popular and gospel artistes, leading business professionals, media personalities, and a university student, including our own minister of health. Also, according to the acting chief medical officer, 16 private and public sector companies participated in the Jamaica Moves ‘Get Moving Corporate Challenge’ Circuit I that ended in December 2017.

“Circuit II currently has 20 companies registered and staff of these companies have been engaged in races since April, 2018,” she said.

Bisasor-McKenzie also said that, through social media, there has been a coverage which spans almost 74,000 impressions on Instagram and more than 85,000 reached on Facebook in the ministry’s effort to make the healthy choice the easier choice.