(Trinidad Guardian) Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh yesterday called out certain fast-food brands, as he once again lamented what he described as the scourge of hypertension and diabetes facing this country.
Speaking at the launch of the U-Health and Wellness Expo at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Port-of-Spain, Deyalsingh maintained that the mega chains and companies had to take some blame for the health condition of some sectors of society, noting the focus had to be on prevention rather than cure.
“There is not enough work going on there and even if there is enough work going on there, people are addicted to Coke (Coca-Cola) and Pepsi in the same way they are addicted to cocaine. They are addicted to the fats in KFC and Royal Castle, and I am calling brands for the first time in eight years because we need to face the truth,” Deyalsingh said.
The minister confessed that it has been an uphill battle for his ministry.
“We have to work so much harder because we can’t outspend Dominoes, $774 million US, we can’t outspend Mc Donald’s, $638 million US, we can’t outspend Wendy’s, $538 million and we surely cannot outspend Coca Cola, $4 billion US.
“Coca-Cola’s advertising spend last year is our budgetary allocation for the whole country, but we freely consume their products, know the words I am using, we freely and voluntarily consume that poison then we turn to the free public health system, save me,” he said.
Deyalsingh was adamant that this was something that needed to be addressed frontally adding this was why he was speaking out in such a manner.
He said he was also prepared to face any repercussions.
“I can’t wait for the backlash I am going to get tomorrow (today) but I think it needs to be said,” he said.
Notwithstanding any possible fallout over his comments, Deyalsingh said he wanted his message to be about consuming these products in moderation, as he reminded it was also more about personal responsibility.
“Please remember the central message was to eat and drink these things in moderation. A bit of personal responsibility on behalf of us all, especially parents when it comes to their children’s health,” he explained.
In a brief response to the minister later yesterday, head of the Domino’s Pizza franchise, Omar Hadeed, said they have been working to make their menu options healthier after consultations with the health ministry.
Wendy’s management, however, said they were reserving comment until they heard exactly what the minister said.
Also contacted, Simon Hardy, CEO of Prestige Holdings, the parent company of KFC, said he could not comment up to press time, as he too had not heard what Deyalsingh said.
The Coca-Cola and McDonald’s franchises could not be reached for comment yesterday.
In June 2023, Minister Deyalsingh met with the heads of some of the local fast food chains and restaurants to discuss healthier menus for customers.
Present at the meeting was Stephen de Gannes, former T&T Chamber CEO, with heads from Restaurant Holdings Limited, Global Brands, Mario’s Pizzeria Limited, Prestige Holdings Limited, Jenny’s on the Boulevard, Pappy’s Fried Chicken, Chuck E Cheeses, Arazzi and Salt n’ Pepper Classical Indian Cuisine.
In a media statement following the meeting, the Ministry of Health said the discussions focused on calories per meal in restaurants, sodium and fat content and strategies for healthy-seeking behaviours in relation to food consumption.
It said additionally, the restaurants agreed that more consumer awareness initiatives were needed to support the health and wellness of the nation. It said after initial discussions, there was agreement by the restaurants to devise strategies to include healthier options on their menus and to reduce salt and sugar content.
Addressing the talks yesterday, Minister Deyalsingh told Guardian Media, “The ball is now in their court. They pledged last year to roll out healthy options.”
Deyalsingh also explained that his ministry established the Hearts Programme to treat the problem of hypertension and as of December 2023, 62,207 people were enrolled with 29,632 now being listed as controlled.
But diabetes, he said, is a much bigger problem and it all had to do with Caribbean culture.
“The Caribbean has always been colonised in a way that does not serve our best interest. Today, we are colonised by the brands,” he said.
