The National Food and Nutrition Policy and its implementation through Home Economics

Abstract

The health status of the Maltese population is far from optimal, since the prevalence of diet-related diseases is rather high. This situation,. has given rise to the formulation of a Food and Nutrition Policy specifically designed to promote good dietary habits in Malta. Since the ultimate changes in dietary mores occur at the level of food preparation within the home, this study puts forth a resource pack of popular Maltese recipes, modified and tested in accordance with the recommended nutrient guidelines, as proposed in 'The Malta Food and Nutrition Policy". The aim was to design and create a visually appealing resource pack intended for secondary school students for utilisation during food and nutrition lessons. To facilitate the students task in understanding the dietary value of the foods present in recipes, each food has been analysed and depicted in a format that is easily discernible. This further enables the users to make comparisons between the quality and quantity of nutrients provided by a particular dish and those recommended by the National Food and Nutrition Policy. To justify the exigency for this resource pack, the study commences by collating data regarding the health situation of the Maltese people and it proceeds to identify the needs for a multi-sectorial strategy to be implemented in order to make a healthy life style accessible to the population. Various forms of implementation are considered and education is highlighted as being of major significance in bringing about these desired changes in attitudes. Home Economics has for years been a discipline whereby Food and Nutrition has been amply catered for by the syllabus, hence it has been considered appropriate to promulgate this subject as a major tool in the implementation of the Policy.