Evaluating the South African national school nutrition programme guidelines: Insights on general guidelines and provisions for school holidays

In this article we assess the guidelines on nutrition practices during school holidays by the South African national school nutrition programme (NSNP) for secondary schools. Guided by the theoretical health belief model (HBM) we consider the lack of specific guidance on holidays as part of the major challenges of conducting behaviour-conducive health guidelines. Specific recommendations arise from document analysis and a literature review of the various sections of the guidelines: extending guidance around school holidays, promoting flexible implementation, continued training, embedding a food safety culture, stakeholder engagement, and strong monitoring. We also put the importance of the South African NSNP guidelines in perspective and suggest some strategies on how these guidelines could overcome the challenges to bring about more effective and healthier school food environments for South African learners.