Creating access to nutritious products and promoting nutrition
education…
“We strive to make nutritious food and beverages more accessible and
affordable to Filipinos while informing them about the importance of proper
nutrition, health and wellness”
– John Martin Miller, Chairman & CEO, Nestlé
Philippines, Inc.
Laki Sa Gatas
Nestlé's commitment to promoting healthy dietary habits is supported by
educational awareness campaigns that aim to give people a better grasp of
what good nutrition is and its importance for the achievement of good health
and overall wellness.
Launched in 2006, the LAKI SA GATAS initiative aims to educate Philippine
public school communities on the value of healthy nutrition and the
importance of drinking milk. More than just being educational, this advocacy
at its very core seeks to empower public school kids, mums, teachers and
educators alike that through balanced health and education— realising one’s
dreams and ambitions are possible.
“LAKI SA GATAS”, loosely translated as “Growing Up with Milk”, was born
out of the reality of low milk consumption and the increasing number of
prevalent cases of malnutrition amongst Filipino children in the lower
socio-economic classes.
Now on its 4th year, the LAKI SA GATAS advocacy has visited over 2,700
schools across the country and has reached out to more than 1,7 million
school children, over half-a-million mothers and nearly 40,000 educators.
This year the advocacy is stronger than ever rolling out to more public
school communities with new and exciting innovations that seek to further
engage advocacy participants.
As each LAKI SA GATAS session in a school has 3 major event components—
kids, mums and teachers sessions—all components this school year have been
prepared to be more educational, fun, and engaging.
In the Children’s Session, grades 2 and 3 pupils are treated to fun and
learning activities to help them understand healthy nutrition. They are
likewise entertained by BEAR BRAND Powdered Milk Drink mascots, “Mama Bear”
and “Kuya Bear” (big brother bear).
The highlight of this session is to encourage children's ambitions. They
are given blank paper where they can draw the ambitions they would want to
pursue when they grow up. The drawings will serve as a reminder that a
healthy mind and body can help them achieve their dreams.
In the Mothers’ Session, the participants are lectured on how to prepare
healthy and affordable meals for their families. Mothers are also encouraged
to serve their children milk everyday as a means to help give their children
the nutrition they need to help them perform well in school.
Educators, meanwhile, are trained on how to address malnutrition in their
classes during the Teachers’ Session. They are given tips on how to make
teaching healthy nutrition more fun and engaging for children.
Through this programme, we hope to reestablish the value of milk and its
vital role and importance for the health of Filipino families across the
country.