Mission:FoodPossible tackles food insecurity with training in St Thomas

Nearly three million people in the English-speaking Caribbean are currently grappling with moderate to severe food insecurity, with hunger rates surging nearly 79 per cent over the last decade. In response to this escalating crisis, Mission:FoodPossible, a Jamaican charity, is adding its effort in the fight against hunger through a community training programme aimed at enhancing food security and reducing food waste.

Mission:FoodPossible executed a special three-day event in honour of the World Food Day 2024 theme, ‘Right to Foods for a Better Life and a Better Future, Leave No One Behind’.

From October 17 to October 19, the Mission:FoodPossible team trained and empowered the canteen staff of five schools to cook low-cost, creative and nutritious meals for their students, using local and indigenous crops. Participants in this year’s training included the parents, teachers and the entire canteen staff of Prospect Primary School, Easington Primary School, Morant Bay Primary School, Bull Bay Primary School and host school Paul Bogle High.

Peter Ivey, entrepreneur, food security activist and founder of Mission:FoodPossible, said this year’s training was set to directly impact the diets of almost 1,500 children and countless others as participants take their newfound skills and mindset home and into their communities.

His team included Executive Chef Patrice Harris Henry, Education Consultant Dr Trina Lynn Yearwood, Creative Director Andrew Blake, and Communications & Outreach Director Kith-Ann Excell.

Empowering Communities through Education

Mission:FoodPossible has spent the last seven years empowering communities across Jamaica through its transformative two-day training programmes. Participants in St Thomas were able to leverage the charity’s Most Valuable Produce (MVP) scoring tool, focusing on strategically utilising local crops to improve food security. The first day delved into the complexities of food insecurity, offering participants the opportunity to develop impactful solutions, including the creation of MVP-focused recipes. On the second day, participants put their ideas into action, honing their culinary skills to turn simple, locally sourced ingredients into nourishing meals. The training concluded with a community event that celebrated participants’ achievements. Family, friends, and community members all gathered to witness the awarding of certificates of completion and to sample the flavours of the participants’ dishes.

“Many of the creative dishes this year caught me by surprise, like the yam fritters, dasheen cuisine casserole, stuffed plantain puffs, Jamaican pear ice cream, and Irish potato cookies,” said Harris Henry. “I am really proud of this group and how they were able to reimagine our local produce on their plates.”

“This Mission:FoodPossible is our first time delivering our food security training to a high school, and the first time we’ve had food and nutrition students participate for the entire three days. Having more young people participating is one of our sustainability and legacy-planning efforts,” said Ivey.

On the final day of the training, the Mission:FoodPossible participants welcomed a small cavalry of University of Technology (UTech) School of Hospitality and Tourism students who brought enthusiasm and finishing touches to the final dishes. The university students’ visit was facilitated by PIII Culinary Kit, another one of Ivey’s enterprises.

Marigold Webber-Smith, one of this year’s participants and the principal for Easington Primary, had high praises for Mission:FoodPossible, remarking that, “the cornerstone of the work that Mission:FoodPossible does is investing in the nation’s children because, by training the adults, it will cascade to the children, one community at a time.”

Isabelle Redwood, a student at UTech, said, “I comprehend the mission because I am enthusiastic about food and farming. To see a plantain popsicle being made was both unconventional and creative.”

A legacy of impact

Since its inception, Mission:FoodPossible has partnered with 20 schools across Jamaica, equipping more than 90 canteen staff, teachers, and parents with the skills to feed the nation’s future. Despite the challenges posed by the global pandemic, the charity remained steadfast in its mission, adapting to virtual and alternative formats of programming. To date, Mission:FoodPossible says, its efforts have positively impacted more than 17,000 individuals. The organisation has also garnered international recognition, including participation in a global virtual food security relay that attracted more than two million views. In 2019, Forbes highlighted Mission:FoodPossible as a potential solution to the world’s hunger crisis.

The event was partially sponsored by corporate entities Wisynco Group Limited and National Baking Company, with additional support coming from PIII Culinary Kit, UTech, Jems Catering, ISA Printing Solutions, The Excell Agency, Teacher’s Ready to Educate, Advocate and Transform (TREAT), and host school Paul Bogle High.

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