HURRICANE Melissa’s extreme strength forced the interruption of school feeding programmes, damaged agricultural land and caused an economic disruption of food availability. Jamaica entered 2026 with the national spirit of restoration and recovery, but the country has two jobs ahead – rebuilding what was destroyed and making healthy food policies and systems resilient to future disasters.

After all, there is a bright light among the rubble. Recently, Jamaica advanced several policies, including the approval and commencement of implementation of the National School Nutrition Policy. The objective of the policy is to create healthier, safer and more supportive school food environments for children’s development and learning, and establish minimum nutrition standards for the sale and provision of food in schools. It also provides the framework for school feeding programmes, prioritising unprocessed, nutrient-rich foods. However, a policy on paper does not inherently withstand the impact of a category-five shock; Melissa revealed a disparity between the design of policy and the reality of climate risk.

When the storm hits the plate