Over 1 million children to benefit from Blue Band’s nutrition education campaign

Over 1.4 million children across 3,585 schools in Kenya will benefit from Blue Band’s Nutrition Education Campaign aimed at promoting healthy living.

The campaign is part of Blue Band’s journey and commitment towards growing healthy and happy kids by equipping 100 million school-going children in Africa and Asia with nutrition education.

The initiative is designed to foster healthier eating habits and improve nutritional knowledge among young children.

The Kenya Demographic Health Survey (DHS) estimates that 18 per cent of children under the age of five in Kenya are stunted, the most frequent form of undernutrition.

“As a food and nutrition company, we play a pivotal role in people’s everyday lives. We remain committed to building our business with public health nutrition and well-being in mind. We believe that what goes into our products can impact people for good which is why we continually analyse and improve the nutritional content of our products to ensure our consumers can enjoy healthier lives,” said Peter Muchiri, Upfield Managing Director, East and Southern Africa.

“Poor nutrition in children continues to have long-term impacts such as developmental challenges which limit a child’s potential resulting to poor performance in the classroom, impaired daily health, and well-being. For instance, Vitamin A deficiency can cause lower immunity and lead to reoccurring diseases. Our products are fortified with vitamins and minerals in line with WHO dietary guidelines,” he added.

According to the Ministry of Health, micronutrients, including vitamins and minerals, are crucial for the body’s growth, development, and overall health.

Deficiencies in these essential nutrients can lead to a range of health issues, including impaired cognitive development, weakened immune function, and increased risk of chronic diseases.

Vitamin A and mineral deficiencies have been estimated to cost Sub-Saharan countries more than $2.3 billion each year in lost productivity.

To address this challenge, Upfield has fortified its spreads with 6 good start vitamins and contains omega 3 and 6 essential for children’s growth and development.

“Our mission is to make nutrition education accessible and relatable to everyone said Pheodre Njoroge, Upfield’s Head of Marketing, “By providing practical tools and resources, we hope to inspire positive changes in dietary habits that will lead to healthier, more vibrant communities”.

Since its inception in 2016, the Blue Band Social Mission Nutrition Education Campaign has reached 5 million children across 8,000 primary schools in Kenya directly and 11.5 million indirectly.