Locally-made and imported potato chips are no longer allowed to be sold in schools in Jordan.

A recent decision by the Ministry of Health has banned the popular children’s snack, deeming it “unhealthy” for children.

The decision has had a negative impact on potato chip factories in the Kingdom, who argued that their products are preservative-and-colouring-free, and that they are, in fact, good for kids.

Mohammed Waleed al-Jeetan, representative of the food sector in the Jordan Chamber of Industry, assured parents that locally-produced potato and corn chips contain “good oils and carbohydrates that are necessary for boosting students’ energy during the day."

The Chamber of Industry demanded that the Ministry of Health reverses its decision and urged it to support the local market, which they said is facing fierce competition from foreign markets.

Meanwhile, Vice President of the Amman Chamber of Industry, Musa al-Saket, reminded the Ministry of Health of the necessity of supporting the “Made in Jordan” campaign, and the need to support the national economy and local factories, which provide thousands of jobs for Jordanians.

However, many parents insist that chips are unhealthy and should not be consumed by their children in or out of school.

Click here for alternative healthy snack ideas to add to your child's lunchbox. 

Made in Jordan

The “Made in Jordan” website was officially launched in August under the patronage of the Minister of Industry and Trade, Tarek Al Hammouri, and it aims to support the national economy and its development.

The website provides a guide to Jordan’s national industries, lists the factories they are produced at, and aims at enhancing Jordanian customers’ confidence in buying local products.

The industrial sector contributes to about a quarter of the Kingdom’s GDP, providing more than $7 billion in exports and investment.

Local products compete successfully in international markets across 130 countries and are responsible for the employment of around 250,000 workers, who provide for more than one million people. Those employees receive a total of one billion US Dollars a year in salaries and compensation money.

You can find out where each manufacturer produces their products by visiting the Made in Jordan website.