It's lunchtime in the leafy grounds of the Kairos School of Inquiry in Randburg, South Africa. Dozens of children line up excitedly in front of a table laden with large pots of fresh, hot food.
Today on the menu we have Kitchari: a mix of daal and rice, with tomato chutney, halloumi, and salad, the school cook says, as she serves the students.
The school introduced a mainly vegetarian food policy as part of an effort to address a worrying global trend: for the first time, the number of overweight children has overtaken those who are underweight. According to the UN, the number of overweight and obese teenagers has nearly tripled in the last two decades. Children aged five to nine who are overweight have surged from 69 million to 147 million.
At Kairos, parents are asked to pack only whole foods in their children's lunchboxes. Headteacher Marc Loon believes the policy offers a valuable opportunity to teach students about healthy eating. If all schools emulated our intention of being thoughtful about what children consume, it would greatly benefit their health, he stated.
The growing popularity of convenience food in the developing world is partially to blame for rising obesity rates among children. Trainee lawyer Mamkhabela Mthembu shared her story of how junk food turned from an occasional treat into a dietary staple once she transitioned to university, impacting her health. I am now overweight, and I wish I could turn back time to help my health before it deteriorated, she noted.
Unicef advocates call for action against the marketing of unhealthy food targeting children. Gilbert Tshitaudzi from Unicef South Africa emphasized the need for altering environmental factors that affect personal health. He suggests restricting the advertisement of junk food to children and enhancing access to nutritious food.
Memory Padi finds herself tackling the delicate balance of her daughter Sophia's health, who has a rare autoimmune disease. Despite her daughter's efforts at maintaining a healthy diet, accessibility to affordable, healthy food remains a challenge.
Overall, South Africa's alarming statistics reveal that 22% of children under five are overweight or obese, a significant jump from 13% just seven years prior. Until governments can enact policies that effectively combat these trends, schools like Kairos are stepping up in protecting future generations' health one meal at a time.