Social Marketing Interventions for Healthy Eating Georgian Case
Georgia's Association Agreement and Comprehensive Trade Agreements (DFCTA), which entered into force from July 1, 2016, pays special attention to food safety and food security issues. The problem has come to the attention of the state. Normative acts and other programs have been developed. Georgia's Health Strategy (2015 - 2020) emphasizes that the information about dietary habits of Georgian population is very small. However, the data indicate that the habit of feeding the Georgian population needs a thorough correction. Food security and healthy eating are priority direction according the requirement of Georgia's Association Agreement with Europe. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) specify that food security is the right of everyone to have access to the sufficient amount of safe and nutritious food for an active and healthy life. In order to ensure effective implementation of the recognized food security principles at the national level governments must ensure development of food policy, inclusion of international norms of food security and adequate nutrition in the national legislation , their enforcement, and promotion. According the National Nutration Study in Georgia 2016, there is no integrated government policy on healthy nutrition at schools. A lot of schools in Georgia (especially in the regions) have no school lunches. Schools with diners select caterers through tenders. Unfortunately, no official documents and standards regulate pupils’ nutrition at schools. Therefore, school administration and/or caterers participating in tenders have no guidelines for organizing children’s nutrition at schools. the Ministry of Education should integrate the principles of healthy lifestyle in school programs. It is significant to collaborate with the healthcare agencies and experts to ensure the development of nutrition standards for schools, focus on raising the schoolchildren’s awareness and implementation of continuous programs. Thus, schoolchildren will be able to make healthy food choices themselves.
The survey is going on in the schools of Georgia regarding healthy eating , which will reveal the challenges and perspectives of healthy eating behavior changes among the children and adults.
Inadequate awareness and education on the importance of healthy nutrition prevents social marketing campaigns in Georgia. Public catering facilities located in school and higher institutions should work well with healthy food standards. There is no nutritional and healthy food monitoring system. About 95% of the Georgian population receives more calories than the recommended food and agriculture. From 17 September 2017 new initiatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia held in the schools of the country. According to the demand of social marketing , selling unhealthy food in school buffets will be prohibited the products that are harmful harmful for health will be banned in the school cafeterias.Chips, fizzy drink and jellies to be restricted in Tbilisi Schools.
For promoting healthy eating social marketing campaign in Georgia To encourage delivering healthy food, fruits, vegetables and other organic products at the schools all key state institutions, business , civil society and mass media should unite. The Center of Marketing Research of Tbilisi State University will actively participate in the monitoring processes .
Charita Jashi
Professor of Tbilisi State University, Georgia
Проф. Charita Jashi