Mondelez puts focus on healthy eating for rural children

Nutrition education through play and a vegetable garden form part of a three-year project for rural students launched by Shanghai-based Mondelez China and the China Youth Development Foundation.

Mondelez China is part of Mondelez International Inc, a multinational confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate with headquarters in the United States.

The program aims to cultivate active, happy and healthy lifestyles for rural students starting at a young age. It will also serve as a practical model to teach nutrition education in rural areas across the country.

By the end of 2014, 280 kitchens and 30 gardens will be completed nationwide, benefiting 140,000 rural students.

The project is an extension of the Mondelez Hope Kitchen Program and has received more than 10 million yuan ($1.63 million) in funding from the Mondelez International Foundation.

Experts from the National Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety, under the guidance of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, will develop textbooks and other supporting materials for students and teachers; launch nutrition education classes; and train teachers in 80 schools, benefiting nearly 40,000 students.

Management personnel and cooks in 300 Mondelez Hope Kitchens will receive training on food safety, nutritious diets and appropriate food pairing, so as to improve the nutrition and health of rural students.

The project will also focus on developing local nutrition professionals in 10 selected counties to improve their professionalism, spread nutrition knowledge and promote nutrition education in their localities.

Mondelez China employees are being encouraged to volunteer to teach nutrition classes and organize various activities to promote nutrition and health knowledge.

Tu Meng, secretary-general of CYDF, said: "During the past five years, the Hope Kitchen Program has improved conditions within rural school kitchens. Mondelez China is the first donor and pioneer."

Ma Guansheng, deputy director of the National Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety, said: "The program is practical, comprehensive and systematic in terms of content, implementation and measurement. It will not only play an active role in helping rural students develop healthy lifestyles and grow healthily, but also provide a best practice and solid foundation for conducting future large-scale food and nutrition education programs for rural students across China."

Stephen Maher, president of Mondelez China, said they will continue to invest in the program to resolve nutrition problems facing some rural students, thus enabling more and more students to enjoy nutritious meals.

wangzhuoqiong@chinadaily.com.cn