Full of Zest-O

MANILA, Philippines - When it comes to instilling values in children that will help them become productive citizens of the country, it is always best to start them young.

Supporting this belief, Zest-O Corporation, country’s leading manufacturer and distributor of the first ready-to-drink juice and other food products, has come up with projects that would help young children realize this.

Recently, Zest-O focused on launching programs that promote the importance of being healthy. Working closely with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Education (DepEd), Zest-O has launched its Zest-O Healthy School Program.

Through its healthy lifestyle campaign, children in different elementary schools are given the chance to engage in activities. During the school visits, children will learn the value of eating healthy and nutritious foods.

The program, says Zest-O marketing manager Christian Lim, aims to promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle in school-age children by encouraging them to eat the right sets of nutritious foods.

The Zest-O Healthy School Program is an ongoing program which is simultaneously held in various schools in Metro Manila and in nearby provinces. “What we want is for children to learn that being healthy starts with eating healthy and nutritious foods,” Lim adds.

Children in various elementary schools will be treated into a whole-day of fun-filled activities. With the help of mascots, children will be given information on the importance of eating the right foods at the right time as well as the nutrition that they can get from the foods that they eat.

Lim says that the use of mascots is very crucial to get the attention of the children. “We did this because kids can easily be distracted. We feel that we can effectively convey the message of the program, which is eating healthy and nutritious foods, by incorporating fun and play during the school visits.”

The program also aims to target the teachers as well as the parents of the children. “We believe that kids cannot do it alone, that is why we also want to get the participation of the parents and their teachers,” notes Lim.

Zest-O will be bringing in professionals such as doctors and nutritionists to explain to the parents and teachers the value of a healthy lifestyle and eating in the development of children.

Apart from educating kids on eating healthy and nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables, the concept of recycling will be incorporated during the whole-year school visits. During the activities, kids will have a chance to taste healthy and nutritious foods and will be given healthy drinks — the Zest-O juice drinks which come in yummy fruit flavors like orange, apple, grape, and pineapple.

Zest-O juices are packed with vitamin C and proven to have the lowest sugar content compared to other brands on the market. 

The Zest-O Healthy School Program will visit various schools in Caloocan, Quezon City, and Manila.