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Ministry of Health collaborates with FAO to launch Dietary Guidelines for Sri Lankans

Published

5 years ago

2020/12/20

The Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched the Sri Lanka Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) at an event held in Colombo.

Country specific FBDGs are one of the FAO/WHO recommended tools to improve healthy eating habits and lifestyles of individuals and populations. Sri Lanka was one of the countries to endorse the FBDGs in the Framework for Action agreed at the Second International Conference on Nutrition. The Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (also known as dietary guidelines) are intended to establish a basis for public food and nutrition, health and agricultural policies and nutrition education programs to foster healthy eating habits and lifestyles.

The guidelines provide advice on foods, food groups and dietary patterns to provide the required nutrients to the public to promote overall health and prevent chronic diseases.

Sri Lanka first published food-based dietary guidelines in 2002. A revised version was launched in 2011.

“A quick reference guide with the most relevant facts for better nutrition is a public need,” said Dr. Susie Perera, Deputy Director General, Public Health Services of the Ministry of Health.

“A lot of hard work in the form of extensive research and stakeholder consultations went into the development of this guideline. A wide circulation to empower people with these facts are needed. Therefore, the next steps of implementation and dissemination of the dietary guidelines are equally important”, she stressed.

The guidelines were developed by the Nutrition Division of the Ministry of Health, in consultation with various government ministries, universities, nutrition associations and institutes, consumer and non-governmental organizations. Technical and financial support was extended by the FAO. The guidelines are adapted to the country’s nutrition situation, food availability, culinary cultures and eating habits.

“FAO assists Member Countries to develop, revise and implement food-based dietary guidelines and food guides in line with current scientific evidence”, said Dr. Xuebing Sun, FAO Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

“Sri Lanka is a country that is facing a triple-burden of malnutrition from staggering rates of stunting and wasting among children, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity especially among women of reproductive age. The causes of malnutrition are complex and multi-layered, yet diet is one of the single most important contributors to malnutrition. These food-based dietary guidelines can favorably impact diets and the food systems in Sri Lanka, from production to consumption,” he noted.

The revised Sri Lanka Food-Based Dietary Guidelines will be published and be made available to the public on the website of the Nutrition Division of the Ministry of Health.

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Cabinet approves construction of new 300 bed Base Hospital in Deniyaya

Published

5 hours ago

2026/02/18

Priyan

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution forwarded by the Minister of Health and Mass Media to relocate the Deniyaya Base Hospital after constructing a new hospital with a capacity of 300 beds at an estimated cost of Rupees 6,000 million.

The Southern Provincial Department of Health has acquired a plot of land in Handford estate which is approximately 03 kilometres away from the town for this purpose.

News

Cabinet nod to legally empower methodology for implementing the ‘Praja Shakthi’ poverty alleviation national movement

Published

5 hours ago

2026/02/18

Priyan

The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval for the resolution furnished by the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment to instruct the Legal Draftsman to draft a bill to legally empower the implementation of ‘Praja Shakthi’ (Strength of the Community) poverty alleviation national movement

News

NPP not under Indian pressure to hold PC polls – JVP

Published

5 hours ago

2026/02/18

Sahan Weerasooriya

Tilvin Silva

…preliminary work started on new Constitution

JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva yesterday (17) maintained that the NPP government was not under Indian pressure to hold the long delayed Provincial Council elections.

The top JVP official said so appearing on Sirasa Pathikada, anchored by Asoka Dias. Tilvin Silva said that neither the devolution nor terrorism issues had been discussed during his meeting with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Deputy National Security Advisor Pavan Kapoor, in New Delhi. This was Tilvin Silva’s first visit to India.

Declaring that politics hadn’t been on the agenda, the JVPer said that the Indian focus was entirely on economic development and technology.

The JVP General Secretary visited India under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations’ (ICCR) Distinguished Visitors Programme from 5-12 February 2026. General Secretary Silva was accompanied by Kitnan Selvaraj, MP, Ilankumaran Karunanathan, MP, JVP Central Committee Member Janaka Adhikari, JVP’s Media Unit Head Hemathilaka Gamage and Member of JVP’s International Relations Department Kalpana Madhubhashini. The delegation visited New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Thiruvananthapuram.

Responding to another query, Tilvin Silva said that Dr. S. Jaishankar had reiterated that India would always remain a true and trusted partner for Sri Lanka, in accordance with its ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ and Vision ‘MAHASAGAR.’

Referring to the second JVP insurrection in the late 1980s, the JVPer claimed that they had not been against India but responded to the actions of the then Indian government.

Sri Lanka enacted the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in the wake of the Indo-Lanka peace accord of July 1987 to pave the way for Provincial Councils.

Tilvin Silva said that since they came to power, Indo-Sri Lanka relations had changed. “India has realised we could work together,” he said.

The JVP official said that preliminary work was underway, regarding the formulation of a new Constitution. The abolition of executive presidency and creation of an Office of President sans executive powers, too, would be addressed, he said, adding that the strengthening of the legislature was the other issue at hand.

Pointing out that the NPP had 2/3 majority in Parliament and could introduce a new Constitution on their own, Tilvin Silva said that they intended to obtain views of all and study the past processes in a bid to secure consensus. The JVP, as the party that campaigned against the introduction of executive presidency, way back in 1978, would lead the current effort to do away with the existing Constitution, he said.

Tilvin promised that they would implement what was in their manifesto.

The interviewer also raised the issue of abolishing the pensions for ex-Presidents. Tilvin Silva said that the Supreme Court, too, had approved the move to abolish pensions to ex-MPs. Therefore there was no issue with that, however, the ex-Presidents pensions couldn’t be done away with as they were made through the Constitution. That would be addressed when the government introduced a new Constitution in consultation with other stakeholders.

By Shamindra Ferdinando