Chevanese Tulloch and Britania Williams | Junk food marketing – the real schoolyard problem

Across the region, school environments continue to expose children to marketing for ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks through sponsorships, branded events, vending availability, and promotions in and around school spaces. This is happening in a region already facing a serious nutrition challenge. 

According to UNICEF Jamaica, approximately one in three children are at risk of diet-related health conditions linked to poor nutrition environments.  A student in Kingston recently said: “Sometimes when I walk into school, the first thing I see is ads for drinks and snacks before I even get to class.” While this reflects lived experience, it also aligns with regional evidence showing that children are repeatedly exposed to unhealthy food environments in schools, shops, and digital spaces.

SELLING US SICK 

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has warned that school-food environments are directly shaping children’s eating habits and increasing long-term risks of obesity and NCDs. PAHO notes that children are constantly exposed to foods that crowd out healthier choices, shaping taste preferences and eating habits from a young age. 

School nurses are noting this issue as they share that they are seeing more children with early signs of high blood pressure and weight-related issues. It is, sadly, no longer something we only talk about in adults. This reflects broader regional trends. UNICEF reports that over 4 million children under five and nearly 50 million children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean are affected by overweight or obesity

ADDRESSING HEALTH CHALLENGES 

In many schools, children face limited healthy options and increased access to ultra-processed foods. Research and field reporting show that snacks high in sugar, salt, and fats often dominate school canteens and surrounding vendors. When teachers try to encourage healthy eating habits in class, students step outside and see the opposite message everywhere they go. Then dis mek sense? This mismatch between education and environment is a consistent issue identified in Caribbean school-food studies.

DRIVING REGIONAL CHANGE 

Across the Caribbean, youth-led and civil society initiatives are pushing for change. The Healthy Caribbean Coalition’s Hope for the Future 3.0 initiative and UNICEF’s Fix My Food campaign have mobilised young people across multiple countries to advocate for healthier school food environments and restrictions on unhealthy food marketing. UNICEF describes the food environment challenge as one where unhealthy foods are widely available, heavily marketed, and often more affordable than healthier alternatives.

There is growing evidence that policy intervention works. Barbados implemented its School Nutrition Policy in 2022, setting standards for food sold and served in schools and limiting products high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats. Regional public-health organisations note that policy enforcement in Barbados has led to measurable shifts in school- food availability, including reduced sugary-drink presence and increased access to water.

In Jamaica, the National School Nutrition Policy, approved in 2025 due to relentless advocacy, aims to improve food environments in schools by setting standards for meals, limiting sugary drinks, and guiding what can be sold or promoted on school grounds. However, implementation remains uneven, especially in relation to enforcement and access to affordable healthy alternatives.

Marketing in school environments works because it builds familiarity and trust early. UNICEF highlights that child- directed marketing influences food preferences, purchase requests, and long-term eating habits. This is not simply about individual choice. It is about how environments shape behaviour over time.

THE BATTLE FOR CHOICES

Schools often rely on sponsorships and partnerships to support programmes. However, global and regional health bodies increasingly warn that sponsorships linked to unhealthy food products may conflict with child-health goals. The Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition and regional partners have called for responsible sponsorship policies that prioritise children’s health in school environments.  At the same time, there is growing support for partnerships that expand access to healthy foods, strengthen school-feeding programmes, and improve affordability of nutritious options.

In the Caribbean, childhood obesity has already recognised as a public-health concern. The evidence is clear:  school- food environments significantly shape children’s health outcomes, and policy interventions are already showing measurable impact where implemented.

The next step is consistent enforcement, stronger protection from harmful food marketing, and sustained investment in healthier school-food systems so that our children can nyam healthy. 

Chevanese Tulloch is the communications coordinator, and Britania Williams is the communications and engagement assistant at the Fi We Children Foundation (FWCF). Visit their Instagram @fiwechildrenja.