Lisa Hanna Calls for Reduction of Chicken Prices for a Healthier Jamaican Diet – Watch Video
Member of Parliament (MP) Lisa Hanna has suggested that the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health establish policies to slash the cost of chicken and other forms of protein so that Jamaicans can eat healthier.
Hanna’s statements followed the Minister of Health Dr. Christopher Tufton’s presentation in Tuesday’s sitting of the House of Representatives. Highlighting several noncommunicable diseases affecting Jamaicans, Minister Tufton declared that the government had “a sick population” and that Jamaicans were now dying younger than ever.
Addressing Dr. Tufton’s statements, Hanna said that the Ministry of Health’s data on health issues affecting Jamaicans was pointless if the Ministry of Finance did not make an effort to put in place policies to make protein-filled products affordable.
Minister Hanna explained that due to financial constraints, starchy foods such as flour and rice had become staples in Jamaican households. With little money left to spend on high-protein products, Hanna said families were turning to small tins of mackerel, chicken neck and back, and liver, which were all poor imported sources of protein.
Hanna called on the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance to make a collaborative effort to produce a policy to lower the cost of protein-rich products such as chicken. Additionally, the minister suggested the possible removal of taxes on a selected group of food items to further increase the affordability of healthy foods for Jamaicans.
Watch the video below:
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