The director of the National Institute of Student Welfare (Inabie), Victor Castro signed an agreement with the director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in the Dominican Republic, Rodrigo Castañeda to improve food served to students in public schools. Foreign Relations Minister Roberto Alvarez and Industry & Commerce Minister Victor Bisonó were present for the signing.
Castro explained the plan is to strengthen the School Feeding Program (PAE) that supplies snacks and meals to the public school community. A first pilot plan aims to reduce school food insecurity. Samples of cooked food will be analyzed as well as dairy products and other beverages to verify these contain the required nutrients.
“This agreement is part of the new Inabie that we are building, an Inabie that provides students with what they really need in terms of food with quality and safety that results in real welfare,” stressed the executive director of Inabie, Victor Castro.
A food laboratory will be installed at the headquarters of the Inabie. Centers will be designated to be used to develop training on food and nutrition for suppliers, students and teachers. In addition, a program on best food handling practices, culinary techniques, nutrition, food preparation and strategies to reduce food waste will be created and implemented. In this sense, a follow-up survey on acceptability and waste of the PAE will be developed in 30 pilot centers to establish strategies aimed at increasing the consumption of food served at school.
The FAO has assisted with similar initiatives in School Feeding Programs in countries such as Chile, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Mexico and Brazil, which serve as international benchmarks.
Eighteen other national and international institutions are involved in this project.
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Diario Libre
30 June 2022