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Nestlé for Healthier Kids
Helping 50 million children lead healthier lives by 2030
Nutrition is key to ensure a child’s healthy development. But as always, theory is one thing, practice is another. Encouraging kids to eat more veggies and fruits, ensuring their meals are as nutritious as possible and incorporating diversified protein sources – including plant-based options – can sometimes prove challenging for parents and caregivers.
Nestlé for Healthier Kids brings together all our efforts to support parents and caregivers on their journey to raise healthier kids. We are launching more nutritious foods and beverages worldwide to answer children’s nutritional needs, while providing nutrition education through school programs, as well as everyday tips and healthy recipes for parents. Our ambition is to help 50 million children lead healthier lives by 2030.
Getting children involved in the preparation of meals leads them to adopt healthier eating habits – in short, their diet quality is higher, with children more inclined to eat fruits and vegetables. That’s why we encourage and advocate ‘togetherness’ — when parents and kids come together in the kitchen.
Why involving children in the food preparation is so good for them?
1. Overall diet quality was higher among Canadian fifth graders who helped prepare home meals at least once a week compared with those who never helped with meal preparation (Chu YL et al. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2014;46:304-8)
2. A cross-sectional study in Australia showed that boy (not girls) with the “healthful” dietary pattern were more involved in helping make meals than boys with an “energy-dense” eating pattern (Leech RM et al. Appetite. 2014;75:64-70)
3. Helping with cooking was positively associated with adhering to a healthy Mediterranean diet in 7th-9th graders in Portugal (Leal FM et al. Persp in Pub Health. 2011;131:283-7)
4. Canadian fifth graders who regularly helped prepare home meals ate 1.4 more servings of fruits and vegetables per day (combined) than children who never prepared meals (Chu YL et al. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2014;46:304-8)
5. Japanese children (10-11 years old) who helped with meal preparation were more likely to eat vegetables and fruits every day compared to those who did not participate in meal preparation (Nozue M et al. Nutr Res Pract. 2016; 10:359-63)
6. Involving young children (2-5y) in food preparation increased frequency of fruit and vegetable intakes (Shim JE et al. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2016;48:311-7)
7. Helping to cook meals regularly was associated with a 10% increase in preference for vegetables in 5th graders in Canada (Chu YL et al. Pub Health Nutr. 2013;16:108-12)
8. Increased involvement or extent of parental encouragement for children to help with food preparation was positively associated with preferences for vegetables in 3-7 year old children (Vollmer RL and Baietto J. Appetite. 2017;113:134-40)
9. Preschoolers were more willing to eat vegetables when the child helped prepare recipes with vegetables (Ugalde M et al. JMIR Serius Games. 2017;5:e20)
How can we involve kids in food preparation?
Here are some tasty and healthy recipes from around the world you can cook with your kids!
The two focus areas of the program:
1. Accelerating the transformation of our product portfolio
To ensure our brands support healthier lifestyles and meet today’s nutritional needs, globally we have already:
- Removed over 45,000 tonnes of sugar and 6,200 tonnes of saturated fat since 2014;
- Removed over 15,000 tonnes of salt since 2012;
- Increased the number of micro-nutrient fortified food to 185.4 billion in 2019;
- Ensured that 99.8% of our portfolio is free of trans-fatty acids (TFA).
We have also made forward-looking commitments by 2020:
- Add 750 million portions (80g) of vegetables;
- Add at least 300 million portions (16g) of fiber-rich grains, pulses, nuts & seeds to products;
- Further reduce sugars by 5%;
- Further reduce salt by 10%;
- Complete our commitment made in 2014, to reduce saturated fats by 10% in all relevant products that do not meet the Nestlé Nutritional Foundation criteria with respect to saturated fat.
Recent product launches including Milo, Maggi, Cerelac...
At Nestlé Malaysia, we constantly strive to transform our products to make them better from a nutritional standpoint. Nutrition is and always will be at the heart of Nestlé, and we will continue to provide products, services and knowledge in helping individuals and families to enjoy life to the fullest. This ambition is reflected in our commitments to launch more nutritious and affordable foods and beverages year on year, improve nutrition through fibre-rich grains and vegetables as well as fortify our products with important micronutrients to address under-nutrition in Malaysia.
In 2019, globally we launched over 1,398 nutritious food and drink products, adding to the 1,300 products that we had launched in 2018. In the same year, we provided over 185.4 billion servings of fortified foods and beverages in 64 countries where people lack vital micronutrients such as iodine or iron.
Here are some examples:
Nourishment for the whole family with Everyday Malt
Everyday Malt is a nutritious & delicious malted drink with the added goodness of milk. This product, certified Healthier Choice by the Malaysian Ministry of Health is high in dietary fibre, and important micronutrients such as vitamins A, C and D and minerals like iron & calcium to support growth & development. Two servings of Everyday Malt meets 70% of *children’s daily calcium requirement.
*aged 4-9 years
Calcium equivalent to a glass of milk with Milo
Milo Nutri Pluz is high in calcium and Vitamin D. In fact, its calcium content in one serving is equivalent to that in a glass of milk. It is also a great source of protein. Formulated with even less added sugar (sucrose) than Milo UHT, two servings of this nutritious drink meet 53% and 48% of daily Vitamin D and calcium needs respectively.
Nutritionally-appropriate snacking with Cerelac
Cerelac Nutripuffs is a nutritionally-appropriate snack for children aged 12 months and above, made from the goodness of oats and vegetables. High in iron, Vitamin B1, calcium and zinc, this baked treat comes in a round shape which is easy to consume, supporting independent feeding and motor skills development.
Organic formulated milk powder with S-26
Catering to the needs of toddlers aged 12 months and above, S-26 Progress Organic is a formulated milk powder for children; fortified with 11 key nutrients, including DHA, AA and Oligofructose that help to facilitate a child’s growth and development. Ensuring only the best quality ingredients are used, the product utilises organic milk certified by the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia.
Veggie food with Maggi
Maggi is applying its 'Simply Good' principles across its product range, using only known ingredients, more vegetables and fiber-rich grains, as well as less salt. This culminated with a launch of new Veggie range in Chile, which includes a ready mix quinoa burger, a quinoa beet burger, a quinoa lentils burger and a quinoa black beans burger, and aBolognese sauce made with soy and other natural ingredients for pasta lovers.
In Poland, Winiary launched a delicious and nutritious new product: a soup with wholegrains. This soup comes in three different flavors – mushroom soup with barley, pea soup with barley, and “krupnik” with millet – these soups contain dried vegetables seasoned with an aromatic mix of herbs and spices, and are packed full of nutritious barley or millet.
Organic baby food with Gerber & NaturNes
Gerber and NaturNes provide a wide range of organic babyfoodfrom vegetable and fruit purees, to cereals-based snacks and nutritious meals.
Going beyond organic standards, these products, available to European and North American consumers, aim to bring the best of nature to babies and toddlers.
Organic cereals for babies with Cerelac
Cerelac Organic Selection is a baby cereal made with 100% locally sourced organic wheat and milk. Launched in India in 2019, Cerelac will soon be offered across Asia and Africa.
Plant-based food with Ninho
Ninho offers tailored nutrition from toddlerhood to school age. In September 2019, Ninho Forti+ launched in Brazil – a plant-based ready-to-drink range with oats, peas, real fruits and fortified with vitamins and minerals essential for school-age children.
Milo – Energy on-the-go with no added sucrose
Milo is packed full of energy
Our new ready-to-drink Milo in Thailand and our Milo 30% less added sugar in Australia are brimming with the goodness of malt, milk and cocoa. They are free of any added sucrose (refined sugar) or any type of added artificial sweeteners.
Bio wholegrains with Nestlé Cereals
Recently launched in Europe, NESQUIK® Bio and CHEERIOS® Bio are delicious breakfast cereals made from organic farmed wholegrains as the main ingredient, free from artificial colors and preservatives.
Nestlé also recently introduced the new CHEERIOS® OAT made with 91% Wholegrain Oat. It brings all the goodness of oats in fun, crunchy and tasty O’s for the whole family to enjoy.
2. Inspiring with supportive programs and services
Parents and caregivers need help to raise kids with healthier eating and lifestyle habits. We develop programs and online services to provide them with nutritional knowledge, healthy recipes and practical tips.
In 2018, Nestlé for Healthier Kids programs reached 29 million children in 86 countries around the world.
Here are some examples:
Nestlé for Healthier Kids School Programme
Established in 2010 in Malaysia, Nestlé for Healthier Kids School Programme collaborates with the Ministry of Education Malaysia and the Nutrition Society of Malaysia. The programme is focused on conveying the foundations of nutrition knowledge to primary school students, aged 7 to 12 years old. Topics covered include the Malaysian Food Pyramid, Food Portioning, Healthy Food Choices as well as physical activity. Through our dedicated efforts, we have positively impacted 30,631 children in 2019 alone. Since its inception, we have reached out to more than 62,000 students across Malaysia.
International Chefs Day with Nestlé Professional
As part of Nestlé’s drive to promote healthier eating habits to children, Nestlé Professional and Nestlé for Healthier Kids Malaysia celebrates the annual International Chefs Day celebration together with Professional Culinaire Association of Malaysia. Held with a different theme every year since 2015, the celebration offers chefs a unique opportunity to network, promote their profession to future chefs and make a difference in their local communities through making healthy eating fun and exciting for kids.
Milo Aktif Negaraku
Milo has played an important role in the grassroot sports development in Malaysia since the 1950’s with a wide range of initiatives and has led the way in nourishing an active and healthy nation. By consolidating these initiatives under the Milo Aktif Negaraku movement, we strive to unite Malaysians with a single-minded purpose to grow healthier together through sports and physical activity, supported by the nourishment and energy provided by Milo. The movement mobilises the wide range of sports programmes such as Milo Hidup Bola, Milo Champions Clinic, Milo ActivJam Senam Aerobik and Milo Malaysia Breakfast Day. Today, the programmes under Milo Aktif Negaraku have positively impacted six million Malaysians yearly, more than half of whom are children.
Maggi
Kids involved in the cooking process tend to eat healthier. Cooking makes a difference! Maggi provides cooking classes, online recipes and cooking tips to help families cook tasty and balanced meals that kids will love.
Maggi Secondary School Cooking Competition
As part of our commitment to encourage young Malaysians to make better nutritional choices, our Maggi Secondary School Cooking Competition aims to inspire and nurture budding chefs to discover the goodness of cooking homemade meals. In partnership with the Ministry of Education Malaysia, the objectives of the Maggi Secondary School Cooking Competition is to instill a love for well-balanced home-cooked meals amongst Malaysian students through a fun and interactive format; to promote awareness of good nutrition and to support them in potentially pursuing cooking as a career. Since its inception in 1997, the programme have positively impacted 10,000 schools and over 341,000 students.
Other Maggi initiatives from across the globe include the Maggi Kochstudio (cooking center) in Germany which provides the support parents need to cook homemade meals every day. In Thailand, the 'Mum and Me' cooking club helps transmit cooking expertise from mother to kids, so that they adopt healthy long-term eating habits with more vegetables.
Nestlé Start Well 2gether
Adopting good nutrition habits from an early age is essential to becoming a healthy adult. Nestlé Start Well 2gether offers personalised nutrition services to parents in the first 1000 days of life - from pregnancy through to the baby’s second birthday.
Our services, mainly online, include an engaging e-learning course that turns the latest scientific findings into simple, practical feeding advice.
Brands for healthier lives
Driven by our company purpose – enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future – we are focusing our efforts on ensuring that our product brands enable healthier lives.
