Tariffs, Taste, and Health: Why Ramen’s in the Spotlight

A debate in the Senate over placing tariffs on imported ramen noodles has sparked a broader conversation about nutrition and public health in Belize. Opposition Senator Sheena Pitts called noodles an empty meal that offers little nutritional value, but it remains an affordable staple for many Belizeans. We put the question to the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

 

Dr. Laura Friesen, Acting Deputy Director, MOHW

“They provide very little vitamins and minerals. So, they might give you energy because there’s carbohydrates in the ramen, but they don’t give you those other nutrients that you need to thrive and be healthy. So, we are from Belize. We have a lot of natural resources. So, we are encouraging people who are looking to get a healthier diet to look at what’s growing around them. Let’s go back to the things that we were eating before we had processed foods. Kalaloo, chaya, plantain, banana, all of these things grow very easily. In general, we would want to make healthy food more affordable and unhealthy food less affordable. So, that is what, from a health perspective, that is what we would want to ask for. And we know that there is a lot of economic issues that come into play. So, this is not a light thing to decide either one way or the other. But from a health perspective, looking at it from the population level, we should as a country do the best we can to make healthy foods more available and affordable and unhealthy foods less affordable and available.”

 

The Senate’s decision on the tariff is still being worked out, but one thing the Ministry of Health is clear on: the goal should be to make nutritious foods more affordable for all, while limiting reliance on processed meals.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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