INSET: Queen’s Counsel, Andrew Pilgrim, speaking during the Elsie Payne Memorial Lecture and Awards Presentation, at the Queen’s College, on Wednesday evening.
A prominent attorney-at-law is challenging fast food restaurants in Barbados to make more healthy meals available on their menus.
This call came from Queen’s Counsel, Andrew Pilgrim, who declared while delivering a speech on ‘Civic Engagement Beyond the Call in Programme’, during the Elsie Payne Awards function, at Queen’s College, on Wednesday evening, that Barbados’ healthcare bill is too “massive”.
“There can be no doubt that if we eat better and exercise more, the non-communicable diseases which are 85 per cent of our budget for health, would be significantly reduced, just by eating better and exercising better.
“We live in one of the countries in the world in which you can exercise every single day of your life. And almost all of we got ground around we house, although we try to concrete as much of it as possible and put as much square on it,” he said.
On that note, Pilgrim suggested that while a large amount of the food Barbadians consume is being produced by fast food vendors, he is throwing out a challenge to the local fast food chains, to produce two healthy meals each.
“If they exist already, I apologise because I don’t go in at them,” he said.
Pilgrim indicated that he is not just talking the talk about more Barbadians getting active. He said a decision was recently taken at his chambers, to close the doors every Friday at three o’clock, for the staff to participate in hiking activities.
“If you are willing to exercise, you can leave early that one day of the week. Our view is that it improves the relationship of people within the office, and it improves our productivity,” he said. (AH)