The Food Security Ministry has launched a programme in collaboration with the Fisheries Ministry and the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to improve public access to quality food and make protein-rich food more affordable, amid concerns over child malnutrition and related nutritional issues.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Deputy Food Security Minister R M Jayawardena said that improving eating habits and ensuring the availability of protein-rich food are essential to addressing the country’s longstanding nutritional problems. 

“We are collaborating with the CAA to make sure that consumers receive quality food without harmful chemicals,” he said. He noted that the country’s food culture is largely carbohydrate-based and stressed the need to incorporate more protein into daily meals. “For that, we have started a programme with the Fisheries Ministry to increase fish production in rural areas. We have started breeding fish and releasing them into tanks. 

Hence, rural people will be able to consume fish at a reasonable price,” he said. Jayawardena added that the Government is also working to maintain affordable prices for eggs and meat. He said that taxes are imposed only on imported meat, adding that the volume of imported meat remained relatively low. Meanwhile, the Government is continuing efforts to control the prices of other types of meat, including beef.

The comments came in response to questions about World Bank reports indicating concerns over child stunting in the country due to nutritional deficiencies. Local academics have also repeatedly highlighted the need to make protein-rich foods more affordable through alternative measures, including imposing higher taxes on sweets and confectioneries, as a potential solution to help prevent malnutrition among children.