PREY VENG: Across the globe, schools offer heavily processed, packaged snacks that are full of preservatives, which have been proven to have a negative impact on children’s health. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports banned many unhealthy foods from schools in 2019, but some schools have not followed the new law. On July 17, the Ministry of Commerce announced it would be posing fines on those that violate the government policy.
One school in Prey Veng is setting an example for how children can be provided with healthier local options that keep students and parents happy. Prey Sniet Primary School in the Pearang district is a small provincial school that has implemented the exclusive sale of Khmer snacks to its students in the interest of their health.
Prey Sniet Primary School Principal Yi Sothon told EAC News that their program will improve students’ health, while also helping people in the community earn money through making and selling the snacks. He also mentioned the environmental impacts of switching from packaged food covered in plastic to traditional Khmer snacks, which are often wrapped in banana and lotus leaves.
Traditional snacks sold include rice cakes, banana cakes, palm cakes, acorns, grilled bananas, fried potatoes, and Nom Banh Chok noodles, among others. As for drinks, the school only allows the sale of fresh squeezed sugar cane juice, while it has installed a clean drinking water fountain that allows children to drink for free.
"This makes the children less sick and they spend less money, but they eat enough. Our children are not from all affluent families; some are not very rich," he said. “Maybe [a student] has 500 Riels or 1,000 Riels, he can eat enough, until he is full and it makes him healthy. Then, he can focus on studying.”
The principal said that the school tried implementing this plan a long time ago, but it was not effective. The school re-implemented the plan on August 7, for the sake of the children’s health. He says that this time, most parents and guardians have shown their support for what the school is doing.
"We have to decide on a clear plan to implement it effectively because everything we do is for the health of our children," he said.
