• Friday, March 29, 2024
businessday logo

BusinessDay

Nestle Nigeria Plc stresses need to nurture, celebrate children

Liberia Turns Towards Normalcy As Fight Continues To Eradicate Ebola

Ahead of Saturday’s 2017 Children’s Day, Nestlé Nigeria Plc., a leading nutrition, health and wellness company, says there is need to nurture and celebrate children as tomorrow’s assets.

A statement by Ms Victoria Uwadoka, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Nestlé Nigeria, said on Friday in Lagos that the company was  committed to help shape a better and healthier world, especially for children.

The statement, made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said Mr Mauricio Alarcon, the Chief Executive Officer of the company noted that the importance of good nutrition could not be over-emphasised.

“As we focus on the Children’s Day, we are conscious of the challenges, conflicts and difficult situations across Nigeria.

“Children and older citizens are the most vulnerable in these situations; families strive to have healthy and fulfilling lives amid the difficulties.

“Governments and their agencies make concerted efforts to mitigate the impact on children and yet there is still so much to do to promote healthy lives through healthy nutrition for children.

“Nestlé as an organisation has made a commitment to help children live healthier lives.

“The United Nations believes that the food industry has a vital role to play in helping to enable healthier lives; at Nestlé, we believe this too,’’ it quoted the company’s managing director as saying.

It said that a child’s body uses nutrients from food to function properly and stay healthy.

According to the statement, nutrition is one of the three major factors that impact a child’s development aside genes and environment.

It said that good nutrition during childhood sets the tone for lifelong health and well-being.

“A well-balanced diet will allow a child to reach his or her full growth potential, perform well in school and maintain energy level; it has great impact on health throughout adolescence and adulthood.

“The food nutrients include carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, water and minerals; parents should ensure that their children and wards get enough of these.’’

The statement said that Nestle recently announced its global ambition to help 50 million children live healthier lives.

It said the company was bringing this ambition to life in Nigeria through various activities geared toward enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future.

“The Nestlé name is a guarantee of quality; we are continuously supporting individuals and their families with tastier and healthier food choices that help them to achieve a nutritious diet.

“In addition to this, we work with our partners to promote healthy cooking, healthy eating and healthy lifestyles through various projects and activities.

“The company builds, shares and applies nutrition knowledge, empowers parents, caregivers and teachers to foster healthy behaviours in children and work alongside partners to promote healthy food environments.

“Nestle also addresses under-nutrition through micronutrient fortification; one of the fortified products is the Golden Morn Breakfast Cereal fortified with Vitamin A and Iron.

“Nestlé also believes that good dietary and lifestyle habits should be influenced from an early age,’’ the statement said.