The National Schools Dietary Services Limited (NSDSL) was incorporated as a limited liability company by Cabinet Minute No. 943 of May 16, 2002 to manage the School Nutrition Programme (SNP) on behalf of the Ministry of Education (MoE). The NSDSL reports to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) with the Ministry of Education (MoE) as the line Ministry. As a state-owned enterprise, the NSDSL falls under the scrutiny of the Public Accounts Enterprises Committee (PAEC) of Parliament. The NSDSL also partners with relevant stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (MoALF) as well as the National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (NAMDEVCO) in delivering its services.
When the SNP is in full operation, approximately fifty-four thousand (54,000) breakfast meals and approximately seventy-nine thousand (79,000) lunches are provided daily to students at over 800 schools. The service is delivered by sixty-eight (68) contracted caterers located throughout Trinidad.
The objectives of the Programme are:
- To provide as a weekly average of approximately one-quarter and one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDAs) of nutrients for the child through breakfast and lunch respectively.
- To contribute to the improvement of the nutritional status of the child and to enhance learning ability.
- To further stimulate the agricultural sector by utilizing local produce wherever possible in the meal plan
These objectives are achieved through several strategies, for example:
- Structured menu planning and implementation;
- Strict adherence to food safety guidelines;
- Continuous training;
- Research;
- Nutrition outreach activities;
- Collaboration with relevant Stakeholders
The NSDSL is an agency of the MoE that interacts directly with both students and parents to promoting healthy eating among school communities. The MoE also delivers some nutrition education through its Health and Family Life Education curricula. The NSDSL also has worked in the past with the MoE on the development of nutrition education television programmes to deliver components on the Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) curricula.
