Coca-Cola reaches out to .2M pupils with NutriJuice program

MANILA, Philippines - Coca-Cola Philippines with the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of DOST (FNRI-DOST) and the Department of Education will provide 35,000 pupils with NutriJuice for school year 2013-2014. This will bring the total number of beneficiaries to 242,000 public school pupils all over the country since its implementation in 2008.

 Nutrijuice is an orange-flavored drink fortified with iron, zinc, lysine, Vitamins A and C given to school children ages 6 to 12 for free for a period of 120 days.  Developed by Coca-Cola Philippines and FNRI-DOST, NutriJuice aims to help reduce the incidence of Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) among school children. Beginning thismonth, NutriJuice will be distributed in schools identified by the Department of Education in Quezon Province, Quirino, Bacolod, Bohol, Misamis Oriental, Cotabato, Taguig, and Ilocos.

 â€œWe are committed to implementing programs that will uplift the quality of life of Filipino children,” says Atty. Adel Tamano, Vice President for Public Affairs and Communication for Coca-Cola Philippines. “We are encouraged with the response of our partner schools to the NutriJuice Program over the years and we will continue to provide school children with this iron-fortified drink which they can enjoy.”

 In an Efficacy Study conducted by FNRI-DOST in 2006 in Pinaglabanan Elementary School in San Juan among 277 students showed significant improvement in the nutritional and iron status of school children. There were also significant gains in the weight and height of the children. Moreover, the prevalence of IDA was remarkably reduced from 100% to 13%. IDA is caused by insufficient dietary intake of iron, which the body needs to produce red blood cells. Iron deficiency leads to weakness, poor physical growth, and a compromised immune system. It also impairs cognitive performance, which limits a child’s capacity for learning.

 Since the program was launched, a positive change has been observed in the school children engaged as a direct result of the feeding program. “With daily consumption of NutriJuice, the children have not only gained weight, they’ve become more active and alert in class, and the number of absentees due to sickness have gone down dramatically,” shares Tamano.