Why Ministry of Education must support School Gardens as Sugar in Bag Juice linked to Lifestyle Diseases

Happy Teacher’s Day to all Teachers on Wednesday May 6^th 2015, which also happens to be Child Month!

Many persons in the community of Swallowfield who know me know how I love my Bag Juice or Bag Drink, whichever you're inclined to called this drink in a bag. But most persons may not know that the Bag Juice industry has been operating largely unregulated.

That is until now, as the BSJ (Bureau of Standard) has finally developed Standards for the production of Bag juice as reported in the article “BSJ Develops Standards For ‘Bag Drink’ Production”, Published Sunday May 3, 2015 by Tameka Gordon, The Jamaica Gleaner.

The Jamaican Standard Specification for Bag Drinks or JS 326:2015 was advertised in the Jamaica Gleaner, Jamaica Observer and the Broadcast Media. This following months of research by the BSJ into developing a Standard for the regulation of the production of Bag juice by the forty eight (48) unregulated Bag Juice Manufacturers in Jamaica as well as the one hundred (100) others who are unregistered and operate underground.

Also, they may have been spurred into action thanks to a Financial Gleaner article in September 2014 reporting that some of the forty eight (48) unregulated Bag Juice Manufacturers in Jamaica had now gone into Bagged water production as noted in “Bag Water Sector Blossoms”, published Wednesday September 10, 2014, by Tameka Gordon, The Jamaica Gleaner.

So why is the regulation of Bag Juice suddenly getting so much attention after it was being made in Jamaica for so many years without problems? It may all be about Breaking Bad.

BSJ to regulate Bag Juice Production – Sugar in Bag Juice linked to Lifestyle Diseases in Later Life

Personal confession time folks!

I actually buy them, along with the occasional Red Stripe Beer, Dragon Stout or Malta to use in Cooking, as they impart a special flavour to meat when it is cooked as explained in my blog article entitled “Cooking for Exams at MICO - How to make Glow-in-the-Dark Chocolate Glaze Donuts to go with Sorrel Wine”.

I also use them as Ice in Drinks as explained in my blog article entitled “Cooking Restart at MICO - How to Cook a Meal in under 30 minutes and make Drinks with Bag Juice”, as they provide Sugar that slowly melts into the Drinks mix, creating a unique flavout that not only changes in flavor but also in colour.

However, sugar is bad for you and is connected to a host of diseases, such as diabetes, Childhood obesity that can lead to a predisposition to Heart Attack and Stroke and ultimately Alzheimer’s Disease, a form of Cognitive and Memory Dementia in your later years as noted in my blog article entitled “University of Queensland's Ultrasound reversal of Alzheimer's - Neurotoxic amyloid-β plaques Removal with MicroBubbles”.

Many parents simply cannot afford to cook food an adequate nutrition-packed breakfast for their children being sent to Primary School. This is a concern of mine being as a Teacher-in-Training in the Professional Diploma in Teaching at the MICO University College, I'm well aware of the relationship between Nutrition and learning in the Morning.

Albeit no scientific evidence exists, there may be a link between the consumption of Bag Juice, which is mostly syrup and Water and the poor academic performance of the Primary School Students as suggested in the opinion piece “Bag juice children and stunted brains”, published Monday, September 01, 2014 by Mark Wignall, The Jamaica Observer.

For those reading, this is a hint for an idea for a Study that can be conducted by anyone at a Teacher’s College or University in Jamaica, as it’s a real easy Study to conduct!

But the GOJ might be taking action soon, as the Ministry of Health is still mulling the idea of a Unhealthy Eating Tax on Fast Foods as noted in my blog article entitled “Min. of Health, Dr. Fenton Ferguson proposes financing Health Care via a Fast Food and Junk Food Tax - Jamaican High Schoolers Addiction to American style Fast Food”.

This might be extended to include any form of food or snack and Bag Juice and other snacks may be on the GOJ’s Radar for taxation purposes.

Minister of Education says Bag Juice Culture Must Go – Need for GOJ to support School Gardens

The Minister of Education Reverend Ronald Thwaites has spoken to this issue on the Wednesday June 25th 2014 during the graduation ceremony at the north-east St Elizabeth-based Schoolfield Primary and Infant as noted in the article “‘Cheese trix and bag juice culture must go’”, published Monday, June 30, 2014 BY ALICIA SUTHERLAND Observer staff reporter, The Jamaica Observer.

During that Graduation Ceremony, the Minister of Education Reverend Ronald Thwaites promoted the idea of School Gardens to grow fruits and Vegetables to be included in the School's feeding Program, quote: “You are a farming community. Your background is in agriculture. Teach your children to love it also because it is the hope of our future.....I go to so many schools and all they (the children) want is fried chicken and chips or rice. So often in our schools we have lost the pattern of teaching... our young children how to love the land and how to gain their prosperity and their nutrition from it. The cheese trix and bag juice culture must go...,”

To date, I haven't heard the Minister of Education Reverend Ronald Thwaites speak about the GOJ (Government of Jamaica) giving schools funds to start their own Hydroponics of Community Gardens, albeit there has been news in the media from the Jamaica Information Service Promoting the idea.

Minister of Education Reverend Ronald Thwaites has , however, been quite vocal since the start of 2015 on making Special Education Mandatory and more details on the TIS (Tablet in Schools) Project as reported in my blog article entitled “Min. of Education Ronald Thwaites and Teacher's Colleges - TIS Project Tablets for Mico Teacher's College, Mandatory Special Education and Free Early Childhood Retraining”.

Breakfast Program must be expanded – School Gardens need Financial Support from Ministry of Education

As I’d mentioned before, most Parents cannot afford to prepare a healthy meal for their children in the morning, especially if they live in the Inner City and the Economical Depressed areas i.e. Ghettos in Kingston and St. Andrew. But they can afford to give them JA$500 for Lunch, a strange irony.

Many of the children often buy sweets, candies  and Bag Juice instead of wholesome Nutri-Bun and Fruits that the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Education is trying to introduce them to via the School-Feeding programs as noted in my blog article entitled “Ministry of Agriculture to approve Fruit and Liquified Eggs for School Feeding Program even as Pork faces Glut - How Solar Farming will make Jamaica's Food Security Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2”.

To make sure children eat Healthy, this School Feeding Program has to be expanded. One of the easiest ways to do this is via the financial support of School Gardens by the Ministry of Education.

One example that I wrote about in April 2014 was the Marcus Garvey Technical High School Rabbit Farming Program as described in my blog article entitled “Marcus Garvey Technical High School Rabbit Rearing Program - How the St. Ann School is teaching Teenagers and Millenials about Modern Farming Techniques”.

Supporting School Gardens may hamper the Ministry of Agriculture’s push for farmers to sell sub-prime agro-processed produce to Schools for their School Feeding Program.

But in the long run, a School Garden would help to introduce children to Agriculture and possibly let them choose it as a career path. In the process, it would allow the schools to become self-sufficient in the production of the food that they use to feed children.

The Jamaican Standard Specification for Bag Drinks or JS 326:2015 - Bag Juice Operators may Face Prosecution

It’s good to note that some of these Bag Juice Producers had been offered Training by the BSJ in Food Safety Standards back in February 2011 in a JA$2500 half-day course called “Elements of Food Safety for Bag Juice Processors” as stated in the article “Bag juice processors to get food safety training”, published Sunday, February 06, 2011 By Alicia Roache Sunday Finance reporter, the Jamaica Observer.

But of that forty eight (48) known Bag Juice Producers, only ten (10) had indicated and interest to attend, suggesting that their they're  not registered with the Company Registrar's Office or worse, may be owned by Criminals Elements or Political Interests and may have no interests in their illegal operations being exposed.

Thus this latest move has comes at a time when the Eyes of the Media is now directed fully at the issue of public health. 

Especially after the Second Major Riverton City Dump Fire that occurred on Wednesday March 11^th 2015 has now been effectively declared an ecological disaster by NEPA (National Environment and Planning Agency) as noted in the article “New Report Reveals Most Detrimental Riverton Fire Ever”, Published Tuesday May 5, 2015, the Jamaica Gleaner and “Report: March fire at Riverton dump most detrimental in history”, published Wednesday, May 06, 2015 BY KIMONE THOMPSON Associate editor - features, The Jamaica Observer.

Hopefully, those forty eight (48) unregulated Bag Juice Manufacturers in Jamaica as well as the one hundred (100) others who are unregistered and operate underground and makers of Bag Water will be charged, convicted and fined and their operations shut down or endeavour to become regulated.

This so as to not harm Children's ability to Learn by selling such an unsafe food products that will have long term health effects.