The "ban on chips" decision in cafeterias opens the door to nutritional awareness

Educator Dr. Amina Al-Hittab told "Al-Rai" that the decision represents a positive step towards enhancing students' health and reducing the prevalence of obesity and diseases linked to unhealthy eating habits, stressing the importance of accompanying its implementation with nutritional awareness and education and providing appropriate alternatives that meet students' needs and encourage them to choose healthy foods.

Al-Hittab added that specifying the types of chips that are banned, instead of dealing with products in general, would contribute to achieving greater accuracy in implementation, given the difference in the ingredients and nutritional value of the products, pointing to the importance of providing healthy alternatives, such as nuts of all kinds, to provide students with suitable options in school cafeterias.

She stressed the need to enhance cooperation between the family and the school to establish healthy eating habits, so that the choice of healthy food stems from students' awareness and their conviction of its importance, not just as a result of the absence of some products from the school cafeteria, pointing out that the ban alone does not guarantee a change in eating behavior unless it is accompanied by continuous education and the provision of appropriate alternatives.

Al-Hittab warned that implementing the decision without addressing the purchasing behavior outside school may push some students to buy chips from nearby grocery stores or commercial centers, which may limit the expected health impact and, at the same time, lead to a decline in school cafeteria sales without achieving the primary goal of the decision.

She emphasized that the rule "everything forbidden is desirable" calls for dealing with the decision within an integrated educational and health vision, based on convincing students of the importance of healthy food and informing them of the dangers of overeating inappropriate products, in addition to encouraging them to adopt better food choices.

Al-Hittab stressed that the goal should not be limited to banning the sale of certain items in cafeterias, but should extend to building a healthy nutritional culture among students, through partnership between the school and the family, continuous awareness, and providing healthy and attractive alternatives, ensuring the sustainability of the positive impact of the decision.

For his part, educational expert Aaish Al-Nawaiseh said that the Ministry of Health's decision was based on considerations related to the negative effects of certain foods on health, especially their association with increased obesity rates and related health problems, and their impact on students' health and dietary patterns.

Al-Nawaiseh added to "Al-Rai" that the decision falls within the concept of health education aimed at raising students' awareness of the importance of maintaining their health, by providing them with the necessary knowledge and information to choose appropriate foods and follow healthy dietary patterns.

He pointed out that the decision reflects a positive trend that aligns with the growing interest in health education as part of the educational process, whether through incorporating health concepts into the curricula, or through activities and initiatives implemented by entities cooperating with the Ministry of Education, such as the Royal Society for Health Awareness, in addition to competitions and programs aimed at enhancing health awareness among students.

Al-Nawaiseh emphasized that achieving the desired goals requires that the implementation of the decision should not be limited to banning the sale of chips in school cafeterias, but should be accompanied by continuous awareness programs that contribute to establishing healthy eating behaviors and enhancing students' conviction of the importance of choosing the right food.

He stressed the importance of integrating roles between the school, family, and community in supporting these trends, ensuring that the impact of health awareness extends to different environments in which students live, and is not limited to their hours within the school.

Al-Nawaiseh pointed out that the school plays a pivotal role in the success of the decision, not only through the implementation of prohibition measures, but also by educating students about the importance of healthy food choices and utilizing classroom and extracurricular activities and daily practices to reinforce this concept.

He added that the use of various awareness tools, such as brochures and informational boards, would enhance students' understanding of the importance of healthy food and encourage them to adopt healthy eating habits sustainably.

This approach confirms that the real impact of the decision is linked to the extent of the integration of regulatory measures with educational and awareness efforts, so that its role is not limited to reducing the availability of certain products within schools, but contributes to building a conscious eating behavior that extends beyond the school walls and enhances the responsibility of students and families in maintaining health.