Whether we want to
admit it or not, there is a great need to fight malnutrition because it affects
our children and their future. I was a considered a child with malnutrition
during my younger year ( in my elementary days to be exact). There was program
back then that help us to fight malnutrition. Before and after my class, I was
instructed to visit the school kitchen and there I am to be feed by the kitchen
staff with healthy and nutritious food that would help me be strong and healthy
and be able to study even better because I have an alert mind and body.
Recently, I was able to
attend an event that focus on the mission , to fight malnutrition. Minute Maid,
a subsidiary brand of TheCoca-Cola Company, recently launched ‘Minute Maid
Nurisha,’ a great tasting, orange-flavored, micronutrient-fortified juice drink
to help sustainably address Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) and micronutrient
deficiencies among school-aged Filipino children at Sauyo Elementary School in
Quezon City.
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According to the 2008 National Nutrition Survey, malnutrition, specifically IDA - occurs in 19.8% or roughly three million children in the Philippines. “IDA may lead to several health and economic problems including stunted growth, tiredness, poor work performance and physical and cognitive underdevelopment. It is best to treat IDA as early as possible,” shares Dr. Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa, Ph.D., Assistant Scientist, FNRI-DOST. Dr. Helen Grace Go, Division Superintendent of the Division of City Schools says that the Minute Maid Nurisha Supplementary Program further highlights the value of partnerships between the government and the private sector in creating projects that are instrumental towards addressing the needs of students, teachers, and schools alike.
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In a recent program
partnership agreement signed with the Office of Congressman Kit Belmonte and
with the support of the Office of the Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, and the DepEd
Division of City Schools, Coca-Cola Philippines commits to provide 3,500 school
children in the 6th District of Quezon City. Through the Minute Maid Nurisha
Supplementary Program,
Coca-Cola Philippines
aims to help improve the health and well-being of school children.Since 2005, Coca-Cola
Philippines has worked with the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) of
the Department of Science and Technology to develop a beverage that will help
alleviate Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA)through the Nutri Juice Program. The
efficacy study conducted in 2006 has yielded very positive results among
children suffering from IDA.
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| “The health and well-being of our students here in Quezon City is our outmost priority and we look forward to another great partnership with Coca-Cola,” concludes Hon. Kit Belmonte, 6th District representative of Quezon City. |
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| “Globally, we believe that nourishing the youth of today enables us to help build better and stronger communities tomorrow. We continuously strive to develop and innovate our products that help improve the well-being not only of our business, but of our consumers and the communities we serve. This is the very reason why Minute Maid Nurisha is not sold in your local grocery stores but distributed for free only through our partners, Department of Education, and the local government,” shares Adel Tamano, Coca-Cola Philippines Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications. |
This year, Coca-Cola
expanded the partnership with FNRI to develop a wider spectrum beverage product
that will not only help address IDA but also the overall micronutrient
deficiencies among school children through the Minute Maid Nurisha
Supplementary Program. Using the fruit and nature expertise of the
Minute Maid brand, Coca-Cola with FNRI developed a new clinically proven
orange-juice drink that helps deliver 14 key nutrients to address common
nutrient gaps in a child’s diet. Minute Maid Nurisha is given to school
children ages 6 to 9 for free for a period of 120 days.
“In programs like Adopta-School, we are able to open channels for
private institutions like CocaCola to help provide a
conducive learning environment to the students,” she further mentions. About 300 students
enjoyed Minute Maid Nurisha drinks, and had fun playing traditional Filipino
games with volunteer associates of Coca-Cola Philippines. Meanwhile, their
parents and teachers learned about the benefits of the product and how to
create healthy meals that are within budget. Minute Maid
Nurisha is high in iron, which alleviates IDA, and contains 14essential
nutrients such as Zinc, Vitamins A, B-complex, C, D, and E; that aid a child’s
physical and mental growth and development. Minute Maid Nurisha Supplementary
Program also aims to promote an active healthy lifestyle among children at an
early age. Since 2008, the supplementary feeding program of Coca-Cola has
impacted 242,000 children over the country.
This year, the Company targets to
impact 30,000 more. Minute Maid Nurisha is not commercially sold. The
implementation of the Minute Maid Nurisha Supplementary Program is under the
Adopt-A-School Program partnership of Coca-Cola Philippines with the Department
of Education. Coca-Cola Philippines is open to partner with public elementary
school systems and other like-minded organizations.
For interested
organizations and/or schools, please send a letter of interest to Coca-Cola via
Social_CokePH@coca-cola.com. For more information on efforts around
malnutrition of The Coca-Cola Company, please visit the nutrition section of
the sustainability
website:
http://www.cocacolacompany.com/sustainabilityreport/me/nutrition.html#sectionaddressing-malnutrition-through-our-fortified-products.
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