As we approach the 20th anniversary of the 2007 CARICOM Port of Spain Declaration on NCDs, progress on NCD prevention and control has been slow. Only three Caribbean countries – Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, and Grenada – were on track to meet the 2025 NCD targets among PAHO Member States. Several others, including The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, could have achieved the 2025 targets with accelerated action.
The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, jointly hosted a webinar on May 7th, 2026, to take stock of the advancements in healthy food policy across the region and in wider Latin America, which are guided by The World Health Organization (WHO) “Best Buys” and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) 6-Point Policy Package.
_Dr Gloria Giraldo_ , Advisor for NCDs and Mental Health , Caribbean Subregional Program Coordination, PAHO, acknowledged the impact of diet-related diseases on health systems, the individual and national development across the Caribbean and noted the intersectoral challenges presented through trade, food insecurity and climate vulnerability. She noted the growing momentum across the Caribbean to address the NCD epidemic, after recognising healthy environments were shaped by public policy, leadership and collective action, with reference to the PAHO Better Care for NCDs initiative. Dr Giraldo identified a clear link between the proliferation of NCDs, and Commercial Determinants of Health (CDoH), which lead to complex pressures, and competing economic interests.
_Dr Heather Armstrong_ _, Head of the Chronic Disease and Injuries Department_ , CARPHA, echoed similar statements, reinforcing that “policy implementation and enforcement continued to be slow and uneven across the region”. She however urged partner organisations and webinar attendees to bear down on protecting children from unhealthy food marketing, while measuring impact, and staying accountable.
_Mrs Sisera Simon_ _, Head of the Human and Social Division_ , OECS Commission, reaffirmed the OECS’s commitment to creating a healthier environment for the people of the Caribbean. She noted that a recent survey of 67,000 children across the region has highlighted school-feeding needs. The data revealed that 85% of the kindergarten to Grade 2 students; 81% of Grade 3 to 6 students, and 35% of Form 4 to 5 students reported arriving at school without an essential meal. She shared that, “there was a desire for more healthy and nutritious choices from our children; but it required a whole-school and whole-of-society approach”.
After the upbeat Opening Session, _Dr Giraldo_ presented data from the NCD Progress Monitor, identifying the major NCDs which continue to be the chief causes of death in the Caribbean. She shared a snapshot of the PAHO Enlace portal – which houses data for NCDs for the Americas, regionally, and locally. She showed how high-calorie, processed foods, rich in fats, sugar and salt and low consumption of fruits and vegetables lead the people of our region to premature mortality, which is higher in the English-speaking Caribbean. She also showcased the NCD Global Monitoring Framework, which tracks the implementation of the action plan on the prevention and control of NCDs through monitoring and reporting on the attainment of nine (9) voluntary global targets. Dr Giraldo pointed out that front-of-package warning labelling, and industrially produced trans fats, to name a few, needed attention. She praised the work being done on school nutrition policies in some countries in the region.
_Dr Mauricio Toro_ _, Elect Congress Representative of Colombia_ , who was one of the leading authors and driving forces behind Colombia’s Junk Food Labeling Law, which mandates clear, simple, frontal warning labels on ultra-processed foods . During his statement he did not hold back as he stated affirmatively that “scientific evidence by itself was much needed but does not stand on its own to galvanise political will”. He shared that civil society had been key in driving the work to advance health bills in Colombia. He also made the point that simple, clear narratives helped to advance the conversation around NCDs – including costs to public health amidst industry push-back, and the food and beverage industry developed new, healthier products.
_Ms Kaj Archer_ _, Team Lead National Non-Communicable Disease Commission_ , The Bahamas Ministry of Health and Wellness, presented some of the interventions made by the Government of the Bahamas to remove barriers, including removing Valued Added Tax (VAT) on un-prepared foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables; introducing the Health Promotion and Wellness Act, and the National School Breakfast Programme which provides healthy breakfast to 20,000 public pre-primary and primary school children.
_Dr Miriam Alvarado_ , Research Fellow , explored progress, impact and lessons learned across the region with respect to sugary beverage taxes. She noted that Latin America and the Caribbean consumed extremely high proportions, more than the global average of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs). She urged countries to consider implementing SSB Taxes and use the money generated to support health promotion.
From a regional leadership standpoint, _Dr The Hon. Christopher Tufton_ _, Minister of Health and Wellness_ , Ministry of Health and Wellness, Jamaica, added that the government’s broader strategy to reduce the burden of NCDs included a Special Consumption Tax (SCT). He sounded the alarm, sharing, “excess consumption of SSBs is a challenge, therefore we encourage consumers to make healthier choices as well as the manufacturers to reduce sugar in their offerings”. He identified strong, valiant points to support the decision to implement the SCT in Jamaica, “even though industry has pushed back,” noting, “the poor are currently being affected more by the consumption of sugary drinks…resulting in illness”. Dr Tufton shared some next steps, where there was a new working group to review syrups and packaged powders, including “bag juice”. He proudly shared that the team at the Ministry continued to work with all partners, including the Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ), with the hope of normalising the adverse impact of excess sugar consumption and the urgency for the adjustments.
Participants were invited to share some of the positive health initiatives which are happening in their countries. Following, country-focused efforts regarding School Nutrition Policies were shared by _Mrs Nicole Elliott_ _,_ Ministry of Educational Transformation, Barbados, _Dr Timar Stephenson_ _,_ Ministry of Education, Skills and Information, Jamaica and _Dr Lawrence Jaisingh_ _,_ Ministry of Health Trinidad and Tobago. We heard of manufacturers creating new products in compliance with nutrition policies, vendor collaboration and bulk buying, Cool School Tours- specifically led by the HSFB youth and Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition, greenhouse farming and collective work with Ministries, including the Ministry of Agriculture.
_Mrs Maisha Hutton_ , Executive Director, HCC, gave an overview of the impacts of CDoH on NCDs and Mental Health, and noted that if left unchecked, CDoH can undermine the gains achieved in the policymaking space. She also shared HCC tools and Roadmaps to help to manage conflicts of interest in the public policymaking space.
The webinar culminated with a panel discussion moderated by _Mrs Sheena Warner-Edwards,_Communications Officer,_ HCC. It sought to explore actionable recommendations to accelerate policy progress, including the application of innovative research approaches and findings. Ms _Jenée Farrell_ _, Project Officer and Youth Representative,_ HCC, emphasized the importance of strengthening the meaningful engagement of youth and people living with NCDs in policymaking and highlighted HCCs ongoing efforts to support more inclusive decision-making through the development of regional guidance and capacity-building initiatives. _Dr Suzanne Soares Wynter_ _, Clinical Nutritionist_ , Caribbean Institute and Health Research (CAIHR), shared “We are undergoing a major transformation in our food space”, “We need up-to-date data with standardised methods for comparability across the region”. _Ms Lisa Brathwaite-Graham,_Medical & Health Services Administrator,_ the Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited (ICBL), shared: “Children do not make decisions in isolation – their environment shapes their behaviour”, which reflects their invested effort to encourage physical activity for children. _Ms Abigail Caleb_ _, Senior Technical Officer, Food Security and Nutrition, CARPHA,_ delivered a passionate call for stakeholders to utilise CARPHA’s 6-point policy package and the technical recommendations for the development of nutrition standards in schools, as well as the networks such as the HCC School Policy Network. She echoed the importance of stakeholders working together to achieve positive health outcomes. _Ms Samantha Moitt,_Chief Nutrition Officer,_ Ministry of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs, Antigua and Barbuda_, stressed the importance of having “the political will and working with various stakeholders from the beginning to strengthen the development of policies”.
Building on the momentum generated during the webinar, a regional workshop on the elimination of industrially produced trans fats and salt reduction targets will be convened next week May 27 – 29, 2026 at the Pan American Health Organization Caribbean Subregional Program Coordination in Barbados, further advancing regional collaboration toward healthier food systems and stronger protection of Caribbean populations from diet-related NCDs.