Christopher Serju, Star Writer

Jamaican women by virtue of inappropriate practices are feeding a growing population of malnourished and undernourished children with the failure to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months chief among the factors identified by the Ministry of Health.

By so doing, these mothers, while providing a bellyful for their children, are denying them a proper nutritional start, the results of which are being reflected in the poor health status of the most vulnerable groups: children under five years old.

"They are not getting the best start. They are not getting breast milk. Our women are choosing to breastfeed for shorter periods or not to breastfeed at all," Deon Bent, acting director, nutrition, in the Ministry of Health, told THE PORTMORE STAR on Wednesday.

In addition, "We are seeing where we are introducing foods that are inappropriate for the age that the child is at. we are introducing it to early and we are seeing that we are making the choices that are not necessarily healthy," she disclosed at the World Food Day National Ceremony and Exhibition held at Greater Portmore High School in Portmore.

Bent continued: "I'm definitely concerned about the health status of the Jamaican population and not just as an individual, but at the Ministry of health we are concerned. so a lot of initiatives are going on to help our population to have better health."

Jamaica joined the world in marking the 68th observance of World Food Day celebrated across the globe annually under the leadership of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

This year's theme is 'Healthy People Depend on Healthy Food Systems - Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition'.