EMAFINI – Schools across Eswatini have been encouraged to develop strict guidelines governing the types of food sold by tuck shops, vendors and canteens on school premises as part of efforts to promote healthier eating habits and protect learners from food-related illnesses.
This call emerged during the commemoration of World Food Safety Day 2026 held at Emafini Conference Centre under the theme “From Burden to Solutions – Safe Food Everywhere.”
Addressing educators, health officials, municipal leaders and other stakeholders, Hhohho Regional Inspector of Schools for Nutrition, Lungile Fakudze, said schools had a critical role to play in ensuring that food sold to learners supports their health, development and academic performance.
Fakudze, who represented the Hhohho Regional Education Officer, said while snacks and convenience foods remained popular among learners, the frequent sale of unhealthy foods posed significant risks to children’s health and wellbeing.
“Schools are encouraged to ensure that school policies support healthy choices and should develop guidelines on the types of foods that may be sold by tuck shops, vendors and canteens on school premises,” she said.
She said schools should actively promote the sale of nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk, yoghurt, nuts and other nutrient-rich products while reducing the availability of sugary drinks, sweets, chips, fried snacks and highly processed foods.
According to Fakudze, excessive consumption of such products contributes to obesity, dental problems and non-communicable diseases among children.
She further urged schools to ensure that learners have easy access to safe drinking water as an alternative to sugary beverages.
The nutrition official said food safety and nutrition were closely linked, particularly within school environments where thousands of learners depend on meals and snacks consumed during the school day.
“Healthy foods support growth, learning and academic performance,” she said. “Nutrition education helps children understand why healthy food choices matter and empowers them to make informed decisions.”
Fakudze encouraged schools to integrate nutrition education into daily activities through morning assemblies, school gardens, health clubs, debates, drama productions, posters and notice boards.
She also called for greater collaboration between schools, parents and food vendors to reinforce healthy eating habits both at home and at school.
“As educators, you are uniquely positioned to influence positive behaviours that learners will carry into their homes and communities,” she said.
The Ministry of Education and Training, she added, remained committed to strengthening school feeding and nutrition programmes throughout the country.
Fakudze said the School Feeding Programme was regarded as a strategic investment in human capital aimed at improving access to education and supporting learner retention.
She explained that schools receive maize, rice, beans and cooking oil under the programme and are entrusted with the responsibility of storing, preparing and serving food in accordance with the highest food safety and hygiene standards.
The concerns around food safety were echoed by Ministry of Health representative Alfred Khehla, who said unsafe food remained a major public health challenge globally and locally.
Khehla said foodborne diseases continued to affect millions of people worldwide, resulting in illness, disability and death.
“Foodborne risks threaten our households, our schools, our markets and our healthcare system,” he said.
He noted that solutions to the problem included strengthening food safety inspections and surveillance systems, training food handlers and vendors, increasing public awareness and supporting food testing and accreditation systems.
Khehla praised efforts by the Municipal Council of Mbabane to focus on food safety within schools, saying learners required safe and nutritious food to create a conducive learning environment.
“We know that children need support systems such as sound nutrition services that support a conducive atmosphere for learning,” he said.
He welcomed the development of school food safety guidelines, saying the Ministry of Health remained committed to ensuring that food consumed at homes, sold in markets and retailers, and served in schools was safe.
Meanwhile, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Municipal Council of Mbabane, Gciniwe Fakudze, highlighted the severe impact of unsafe food on children and young people.
She cited recent World Health Organisation data indicating that unsafe food causes approximately 866 million illnesses and 1.5 million deaths annually worldwide.
According to Fakudze, children under the age of five carry a disproportionately large share of the global foodborne disease burden despite representing a small percentage of the population.
“This is not an abstract statistical problem; it is a direct threat to the health, dignity and academic potential of the learners in our classrooms,” she said.
The municipal leader revealed that the council had already developed comprehensive draft food safety guidelines for KaBoyce High School and had conducted awareness sessions with learners at St Mark’s High School.
She said these initiatives demonstrated what could be achieved when local authorities, health officials and schools worked together.
“We have already begun translating these solutions into tangible, groundbreaking strides,” she said.
Stakeholders at the event agreed that schools remain one of the most important settings for promoting food safety and healthy eating, with renewed calls for stricter oversight of vendors operating on school premises.
The proposed guidelines are expected to help schools create healthier food environments while reducing the risks associated with unsafe and unhealthy food products sold to learners.
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