The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has announced that the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) has reviewed its ecological menus across all 16 regions to ensure school children receive balanced, nutritious and adequate meals.
Addressing Parliament, the Minister said the initiative forms part of President John Dramani Mahama’s agenda to strengthen and improve the implementation of the School Feeding Programme nationwide.
According to Dr. Lartey, the revised menus are designed to enhance the nutritional value of meals served to beneficiaries while promoting healthy growth and development among school children.
As part of efforts to improve monitoring and accountability, she disclosed that the GSFP, with support from the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), is piloting “School Connect,” a global digital monitoring platform.
The system is expected to track compliance with approved menus, improve oversight of meal preparation and strengthen accountability within the programme.
The Minister further revealed that with support from the World Bank, the Ministry has developed School Menu Cards to guide caterers on food quantities, portion sizes and nutritional standards.
She noted that head teachers and school authorities have been trained to monitor adherence to the approved guidelines to ensure consistency and quality in meal preparation.
Dr. Lartey also indicated that nationwide capacity-building programmes have been organized for caterers and head cooks to enhance their knowledge of food hygiene, safety standards, nutrition and meal preparation in line with the operational guidelines of the School Feeding Programme.
To improve the nutritional content of meals in a cost-effective manner, the Minister said soya bean powder has been introduced as an additional source of protein in a variety of meals served under the programme.
These include banku, tuo zaafi, kenkey, rice balls, waakye, jollof rice, soups and stews.
She emphasized that routine monitoring is being conducted at the national, regional, district and school levels to ensure quality assurance and compliance with established standards.
Dr. Lartey reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving the quality, safety and nutritional value of meals provided under the School Feeding Programme.
She expressed confidence that the measures being implemented will strengthen service delivery and contribute to better nutritional outcomes for school children across the country.
