The issues, challenges and opportunities of South Africa’s National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) came under the spotlight as researchers, experts, activists and policymakers presented their own experiences and insights  as part of the Healthy Living Alliance’s (HEALA) two-day Schools Food Environment Assembly Programme which took place at the Anew Hotel on Wednesday and Thursday (October 9 and 10).

This programme highlighted the need for collaborative efforts between various stakeholders to ensure that the more than 9 million beneficiaries of NSNP across 21 000 SA schools realise the full benefits of the country’s government-led NSNP programme.

This is in light of the 2022/2023 report which indicates that the South African government spent just over R8,4 billion during the 2022/23 financial year on its nationwide school feeding scheme. 

However, in light of the recent budget cuts, announced by the government, concerns have been raised that these austerity measures will adversely affect the ongoing efforts of ensuring every child receives a healthy and nutritious meal even if it is once a day.

The discussions delved deeper into some of these challenges with the aim of finding practical solutions in spite of a challenging economic environment.

On the first day of the programme, experts from various fields including from advocacy groups, civil society, academia, health, medicine, agriculture, government departments and school governing bodies spent the day in various panel discussions aimed at highlighting the plight of the country’s young people and government’s efforts in addressing poverty levels in our education system.

 In his keynote address which kicked off the first day of the conference, Professor Scott Drimmie of the Stellenbosch University’s division of human nutrition, department of global health and medicine sciences, revealed that even though the country’s NSNP has moved learners out of poverty, there has been some missed opportunities by government in ensuring that hunger and poverty is eradicated through innovative and cost -effective procurement programmes and sustainable agricultural practices.

“We need to look at what we can do to leverage procurement and how to use this to support and promote agroecology for sustainable livelihoods,” he said.

“There is urgency in finding long-lasting solutions and there are strong arguments being made on key impact areas in our school nutrition programmes. We need to start thinking about the systems and about deliverables,” he further elaborated.

Dr Nomathemba Chindiwana, principal scientist and director at Ezintsha, Mr Gilbert Tshitaudzi, Unicef SA’s nutritionist manager, Ms Palesa Ramolefo food justice campaigner at Amandla.Mobi and Professor Lisanne Du Plesis tackled the first panel discussion titled, “Why and What? Childhood diet in SA” which touched on childhood diet and health in SA, improving children’s food environment as well as the effects of high food prices and marketing in school premises and other key areas affecting children.

The second panel discussion which was led by another group of local and international experts, including Brazilian school nutrition activist, Ms Giorgia Russo, Dr Michelle Brear, Priceless SA, researcher and Black Sash’s National Advocacy Manager, Ms Hoodah Abrahams-Fayker  expanded the discourse by tackling the panel titled: “How to impact children’s nutrition” with Hoodah tackling the role of social protection, Dr Brear tackling the impact of outdoor advertising on the psyche and behaviour of children as they grow up and transition into adulthood.

Giorgia gave a compelling comparative breakdown of how the Brazilian model of school nutrition programme compares well with the South African model even though differences in approach could be discerned.

On the second day, she further elaborated on some of the models used by her home country to encourage family farming initiatives which have been legislatively implemented since 1995 as a way to promote child nutrition in schools and communities.

“Brazil has a model that has a process of implementing and promoting nutrition. This model also prioritises school feeding councils who conduct food inspection as a way of monitoring. Under the Family Agriculture National Policy of 1995, Brazil prioritises and supports family farming through Rural Technical Assistance and the Food Procurement Programme (PAA),” she said.

Other experts who took part in panel discussions include, Dr Edzani Mphaphuli of Grow Great, Ms Mavis Ranwedzi, the basic education’s nutritionist programme director, Ms Matshidiso Lencoasa from the Bridget Justice Coalition and Section 27’S Sasha Stevenson as they tackled the discussion themed: The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) as a key impact space” which looked into issues the history and impact of NSNP, looming budget cuts and perspectives from Early Childhood Development (ECD).

Healthcare workers, food handlers, local farmers, food producers and School Governing Bodies, labour and education researchers brought into sharp focus some of the issues affecting quality nutrition in schools as well as some of the underlying issues affecting procurement of nutritious food items for schools. This multi-layered session was led by Dr Asafika Mbangata from the Rural Association, HEALA CEO, Nzama Mbalati, Western Cape researcher, Professor Rina Swart, Equal Education’s Ms Nontikelelo Dlulani and Dullah Omar Institute’s researcher, Ms Paula Knipe, Ms Nosipho Twala, among others.

Theft of food meant for learners in schools, ensuring safe food storage, procurement of healthy and nutritious foods and challenges faced by food handlers, educators and other role players formed part of the robust engagement of this session.

Following a series of robust and serious engagements, the first day of a two-day programme culminated in a grand gala dinner that not only marked the re-launch of the Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) but also celebrated an impressive eight years of advocacy for healthier food choices across South Africa. 

The auspicious occasion served as an opportunity for guests, partners and other HEALA stakeholders to reflect on the remarkable journey of the organisation, which has fostered awareness and inspired a movement towards nutritional wellbeing in communities nationwide.

As the celebrations winded down, HEALA CEO, Nzama Mbalati quipped: “I have not told my team this, but I think HEALA is a political organisation and not necessarily a political party. It is about political mobilisation and an organisation that wants to change the norms of the current food systems,” he said.

 Day two led by facilitators such as Sheldon Petersen and Angelika Grimeek, Dasantha Pillay and Lucilla Blankenberg,Allice Khan and Eunice Montso, Nqabutho Mpofu, Ptronell Kruger, Nzama Mbalati and Sameera Mahomedy was dedicated to intimate breakaway sessions on key thematic issues with the aim of answering questions raised from the issues under discussion in a bid to bring about practical solutions to the NSNP programme.

During the final plenary, group leaders from the five designated groups took to the stage to unveil a host of actionable solutions. Among the most notable proposals was the integration of local agricultural initiatives to bolster food sourcing—an idea that not only seeks to improve meal quality but also aims for sustainability by supporting local farmers.

Among these was the empowerment of young people to be roped in as nutritionist, dietitians, small-scale farmers, the use of technology, social media to ensure whistleblowing and monitoring, data collection, food storage, incentivising local farmers, while also ensuring big food corporations are taxed higher on their unhealthy product in order to fund school nutrition.

There were also calls for the government to change its funding of the NSNP programme in a way that allows food handlers to be paid better salaries, afforded food parcels in order to be afforded dignity and respect that they deserve as one of the vulnerable groups in the NSNP system.

Borrowing from the Brazilian model which prioritises food councils and monitoring and evaluation system, and employment of nutritionists, the groups reported that this model could also benefit South Africa and about the much-needed change in South Africa’s youth unemployment and lack of adequate nutrition challenges.

Reflecting on the two-day programme, Nzama Mbalati indicated that the country’s flagship government programme, NSNP which has noble intentions to meet its objectives needed due to high numbers of NCDs, including wasting, stunting, obesity, malnutrition and undernutrition among South African children.

“The reason we called the two-day convention is threefold. It is in light of high rising reports of stunting at 29%, obesity which affected one in eight children. This is actually concerning because food is at the centre of this crisis and unhealthy food is the main driver of this scourge. When we looked at the NSNP programme as a flagship government programme that can assist us to start being intentional about how we can help provide a better food environment for South Africans,” he said.

On the success of the programme, Mbalati remarked: “We were able to bring everyone from academia to government to food handlers, coordinators of NSNP programmes and education communities on the ground and the highlight for me was some of the proposals made in trying to mitigate against the concerning budget cuts. Schools and provinces are already complaining about the budget cuts and there were proposals made in trying to support food handlers in terms of their working conditions.”

Ends.

About HEALA: HEALA is a coalition of civil society organisations advocating for equitable access to affordable, nutritious food in South Africa by building a more just food system.

For media interviews contact: 
Mr Neo Merafi on 071 359 9738 or Neo@maverickbrand.co.za