Fiji

Food and health guidelines for Fiji

NCD Country Profiles 2018 (Obesity Targets)

The profiles also provide data on the key metabolic risk factors, namely raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose and obesity and National Targets on Obesity (as of 2017)

Excise duty on sweetened beverages

Since 2016, Fiji has had an excise tax on sweetened beverages. The tax was raised to 35 cents per litre in 2017. In 2023, the Ministry of Health confirmed the tax would be increased to 40 cents per kilogram or per litre on juice, ice cream, sweet biscuits, snacks, and sugar confectionery, and introducing an import excise of 15% on those items.

Action Plan to Reduce the Double Burden of Malnutrition in the Western Pacific Region (2015–2020)

The WHO action plan to reduce the double burden of malnutrition in the Western Pacific Region. It calls for accelerated efforts to improve nutrition. The plan includes targets to halt the increase in childhood overweight and adult and adolescent diabetes and obesity by 2025.

NCD Strategic Plan

Fiji's NCD strategy, including the target of halting the rise in obesity prevalence in adults and children.

Perspectives of Fijian Policymakers on the Obesity Prevention Policy Landscape

Facilitators include policy entrepreneurs and policy brokers who were active when a window of opportunity opened and who strengthened intersectoral collaboration. Fiji's policy landscape can become more conducive to obesity policies if power inequalities are reduced. In Fiji and other Pacific Island countries, this may be achievable through increased food self-sufficiency, strengthened intersectoral collaboration, and the establishment of an explicit functional focal unit within government to monitor and forecast the health impact of policy changes in non-health sectors.

Fiji's National Strategic NCD Plan

This plan calls for the MOH, at all levels of care, to prevent and control NCDs in Fiji. It spells out the need for us to strengthen community development with NCD as our entry point. We as civil servants and technicians need to address common risk factors, intermediate risk factors and NCDs using the innovative 3M approach. The brand reminds us of the WHO definition, that health is not merely the absence of infirmity, but mental and social well being as well. It aims to reorient MOH thinking that we need to, in a holistic way, address people with NCD rather than NCDs in people.

Nutrition labelling regulation

"In Fiji, all food products sold are regulated through the Food Safety Act 2003 (15) and the Food Safety Regulations 2009. Regulations around the labelling of processed, packaged food products require all pre-packaged food produced, processed, packed, distributed or imported to be labelled in English with the following required nutritional information per 100 g (or per 100 ml for liquids) for: energy, protein, fat and carbohydrate. In 2014, an amendment of the Food and Safety (Amendment) Regulations 2014 was passed which stipulates mandatory reporting of additional nutrients including trans fatty acids, Na, total sugar, fat, saturated and unsaturated fats to be labelled per 100 g (or 100 ml for liquids)."

Healthy Youth Healthy Communities (HYHC)

This project was based in secondary schools and faith-based organisations to promote healthy eating and regular physical activity, and to prevent unhealthy weight gain in adolescents aged 13-18 years._x000D__x000D_

School Canteen Guidelines

Fiji’s School Canteen Guidelines were developed in 2005 and revised in 2013. The guidelines outline how to prepare and provide healthy “everyday” food with recipes and nutrition guidelines and are enforced by the Ministry of Education.

GNPR 2016-17 (q7) Breastfeeeding promotion and/or counselling

WHO Global Nutrition Policy Review 2016-2017 reported the evidence of breastfeeding promotion and/or counselling (q7)

Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes: National Implementation of the International Code Status Report 2016 (Promotion of Breastfeeding)

The 2016 report provides information on the status of implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly resolutions (“the Code”) in and by countries. The report also identifies in which countries they actively promote the benefits of breastfeeding.