Two years after the school nutrition policy was implemented, initial findings indicate promising progress in improving children’s dietary habits. However, achieving the overarching goal of healthier children requires ongoing and concerted efforts.Recent reports from authorities highlight progress in students’ attitudes towards incorporating more fruits and vegetables into their diets and a positive response from several businesses that have reformulated their product offerings to align with healthier guidelines. Despite these encouraging developments, challenges persist.Education and health officials have acknowledged that the policy encounters significant hurdles, particularly with vendors operating outside school premises and the varying reactions from students towards healthier school meals.Senior Education Officer Hedda Phillips-Boyce addressed the issue of non-compliant vendors operating outside schools during a news conference on Tuesday. She stated that these vendors continue to sell items that do not adhere to the nutritional guidelines and that some parents are permitting their children to purchase from these vendors. Phillips-Boyce acknowledged the complexity of the issue and emphasised the need to find effective solutions.It is undeniable that as a country we are crippled under the far-reaching effects of rampant non-communicable diseases — diabetes, strokes, cancer — largely caused by poor diets and inactive lifestyles. Most of us, if not all of us, know of a relative, neighbour or co-worker who has died or suffered from these debilitating conditions.