Title: Why Back-to-School Time Shouldn’t Mean Back to Unhealthy Food Marketing
As a parent experiencing “First Day of School” for the first time, it was both exciting and
overwhelming. I spent the last few months eagerly shopping for all the essentials a toddler
needs to thrive in pre-school. Yet this new journey was also an eye-opener to the unethical
back-to-school marketing targeting kids. My public health brain couldn’t help but notice how
unhealthy, ultra-processed products are cleverly designed to attract children and how they’re
promoted as essential for your child’s lunch kit.
Like most parents, I believe it’s important to ensure our children are nourished with healthy
foods and snacks during school. The saying “healthy body, healthy mind” reminds us that
nutrition supports physical health as the foundation for learning and well-being. That’s why it’s
disheartening to see unhealthy foods normalized through pervasive advertising. Even more
concerning, these unhealthy food companies and fast food restaurants continue to target
children and youth to maximise their profits and flood our markets with their products while
obesity, diabetes, and other preventable illnesses rise.
We need more voices speaking out and stronger advocacy to curb these unethical practices in
the region. The Healthy Caribbean Coalition’s campaign, Let’s Do Better for the Children
reinforced what we already know: we cannot allow unhealthy products to be marketed to
children. As parents, we share a responsibility to advocate for healthier environments for them.
Undoubtedly, parents cannot do this alone. It requires a collective effort from the community to
make meaningful change. As the saying goes, “when you know better, you do better” and we
know these products are harmful, so we need to protect our children from them. We also know,
if the burden of non-communicable diseases continues to rise, there are serious implications for
our nation’s productivity and our already resource-constrained health system. Therefore, our
governments must ACT NOW to implement strong policies that ban marketing of unhealthy food
products to our children.
The Let’s Do Better for the Children campaign is a stark reminder to all of us that we have a role
to play in creating the future we want for our children. As parents we often speak to ourselves
and discuss these challenges, but sometimes it never leaves the room. However, if we bring our
voices together, we can push the needle on creating healthier environments for our children.
Whether you are a parent, caregiver, teacher, friend or policymaker we should all want what’s
best for our nation’s children. It’s time to end the marketing of unhealthy food products to
children. Our children deserve a strong healthy start to their lives and it is our responsibility to
make that happen.
Author Bio:
Renée Thomas-Venugopal is an Instructor at St. George’s University and a member of
Grenada’s National Chronic Non-Communicable Disease Commission. She is passionate about
strengthening Caribbean health systems and promoting health equity through teaching,

research, and advocacy. Her volunteer work supports healthier communities, focusing on
education, prevention, and improved access to care.