Amman — A recent decision by Health Minister Ibrahim Al-Badour to ban the sale of all types of chips at school canteens has raised questions about how the measure can help promote healthy eating habits among students, and about the role of schools and nutrition education in encouraging healthier choices and establishing sound dietary behaviors.
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Education experts said the ban represents an important step toward creating a school environment that better supports students’ health. They stressed that the decision should not be viewed simply as a regulatory measure targeting a specific product, but as part of a broader educational approach aimed at developing healthy eating habits that students can carry with them both inside and outside school.
In separate comments to Al-Ghad, they emphasized the importance of integrating the roles of schools and families in educating students about the importance of a balanced diet and encouraging them to choose healthier alternatives. They said this would support students’ health and development, while schools have an important role in implementing the decision as well as raising awareness about healthy food choices.
Education and Human Resources Development Ministry spokesperson Muhannad Al-Khatib said the decision to ban the sale of chips at school canteens was made out of concern for students’ health and to strengthen a school environment that supports healthy lifestyles. This includes providing a food environment that encourages healthy choices and limiting the circulation of foods that do not comply with approved health requirements for school canteens.
In comments to Al-Ghad, Al-Khatib added that the importance of the decision goes beyond regulating the products sold at school canteens to strengthening students’ nutritional awareness and establishing healthy habits that continue outside school. He stressed the importance of cooperation between schools and families in educating students about balanced nutrition and encouraging them to choose healthier alternatives.
In a related statement, the Jordanian Association for Food and Nutrition said the decision to ban potato chips and other harmful food products from school canteens was appropriate and represented a carefully considered step toward promoting school health and supporting efforts to protect students’ well-being.
Association President Dr. Bassem Abu Bakr said such products contain high levels of calories, reaching around 500 calories per 100 grams, most of them coming from saturated fats and refined carbohydrates. He said this contributes to higher obesity rates among students, as reflected in school health surveys showing the prevalence of obesity.
He explained that this negatively affects students’ health both now and in the future, as well as public health and society more broadly. It also increases the risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high levels of bad cholesterol (LDL), and low levels of good cholesterol (HDL), raising the risks of heart and brain diseases and affecting liver function.
More Than a Ban
Education expert Faisal Tayeh said banning all types of chips from school canteens represents an important step toward creating a school environment that better supports students’ health.
He stressed that the decision should not be understood merely as a regulatory measure focused on banning a particular product, but as part of a broader educational approach aimed at building healthy eating habits that remain with students both inside and outside school.
He said schools’ responsibilities extend beyond academic education to helping shape students’ behavior and lifestyles. Providing healthy food options in school canteens and limiting products that do not align with approved health guidelines can help students make better dietary choices, particularly because the canteen is part of their daily environment where eating habits are formed.
Tayeh emphasized that the decision should be accompanied by healthy food alternatives that are suitable in terms of price and quality, along with greater awareness of balanced nutrition and an explanation of the decision’s objectives to students. This would help strengthen their nutritional awareness and encourage healthier choices.
He noted that school principals and teachers play a key role in making the measure successful by monitoring canteen compliance with the regulations and using classroom activities, school broadcasts and student initiatives to promote nutritional awareness. He also stressed the importance of communication with parents to ensure consistent awareness messages at home and at school.
Tayeh called for continuous monitoring of compliance with regulations governing school canteens to ensure that they are properly implemented.
He pointed out that a school canteen is not merely a place where food is sold, but an integral part of the school’s educational and health environment. This requires the products offered there to meet clear standards, along with coordinated efforts between schools and the relevant regulatory authorities to ensure food safety and compliance with regulations.
Tayeh said the impact of the decision would depend on how effectively it contributes to strengthening students’ nutritional awareness and encouraging them to choose healthy foods, alongside regulating the products offered at school canteens. He stressed the importance of extending awareness efforts to students’ food choices outside school, helping them make more informed decisions about their diets.
He also stressed that the school’s role in promoting nutritional awareness must complement the regulation of products sold in canteens by educating students about the importance of healthy food and encouraging them to adopt sound eating habits.
Providing Alternatives
Education expert Mohammad Abu Amara said the decision to ban the sale of chips in public and private school canteens could help raise nutritional awareness among students and reduce their consumption of some foods with low nutritional value.
He stressed the importance of school canteens playing an educational and awareness-raising role alongside their function of providing food to students.
He said schools contribute to shaping students’ daily habits and behaviors, including their food choices. The food available in school canteens provides an opportunity to teach students about the importance of balanced nutrition and its impact on health and development, while helping them distinguish between different food choices.
Abu Amara added that banning chips could reduce consumption of products high in salt and fat. He stressed the importance of providing healthy alternatives that suit students’ tastes and are affordable, encouraging them to choose those options and increasing the chances of achieving the decision’s objectives.
He explained that nutrition education can help students understand the importance of a balanced diet and its relationship to health, activity and concentration. At the same time, he noted that students’ classroom performance is influenced by multiple factors and cannot be attributed to dietary patterns alone.
Abu Amara said achieving a lasting impact from the decision requires explaining its reasons to students and providing simple information about the nutritional value of foods. He also called for involving students in school activities that promote healthy eating habits, helping them understand the importance of their dietary choices and make more informed decisions.
He stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between schools and families in establishing these habits by educating parents about the importance of providing balanced meals for their children. He noted that the impact of banning certain products from school canteens may remain limited if it is not accompanied by supportive practices at home.
Abu Amara emphasized the need to monitor compliance by school canteens with health regulations while ensuring that available alternatives are appropriate in terms of nutritional value and price, so students can afford them. He said providing suitable options and raising awareness of their benefits are key factors in encouraging students to adopt healthy eating behaviors.
He called for integrating the decision with health education, encouraging physical activity and providing balanced food, while adopting positive awareness approaches that take students’ ages and needs into account.
He stressed that the importance of the decision goes beyond banning certain products from school canteens and extends to strengthening students’ ability to make informed food choices, helping establish healthy eating habits that can continue beyond the school environment.
Health Education
Education expert Ayesh Al-Nawaisa said the Health Ministry’s decision was based on evidence concerning the negative effects of certain foods, particularly their association with obesity and related health problems, and the impact this can have on students’ health and eating behaviors.
He added that the decision falls within the framework of health education, which seeks to raise students’ awareness of the importance of caring for their health by providing them with sufficient knowledge and information about choosing appropriate foods and following healthy lifestyles.
Al-Nawaisa said the decision reflects a positive approach consistent with changes in the education sector, which has increasingly emphasized health education as part of learning and teaching. This is achieved both through school curricula and activities carried out by organizations cooperating with the ministry, such as the Royal Health Awareness Society, as well as through competitions and initiatives aimed at strengthening health awareness among students.
Al-Nawaisa stressed that supporting these approaches among students and schools requires more than simply banning chips from school canteens. It should be accompanied by awareness efforts aimed at establishing healthy eating behaviors.
He added that the success of the decision requires coordinated efforts among schools, families and the wider community to strengthen students’ health awareness across the different environments in which they live and learn.
He noted that schools have an important role in implementing the decision, as well as in educating students about healthy food choices through classroom and extracurricular activities and daily practices within schools. He also highlighted the use of various awareness tools, such as posters and educational materials, to strengthen students’ understanding of the importance of healthy food and encourage them to adopt sound eating habits.
Source: Al-Ghad
