BEAR BRAND Laki Sa Gatas 2008: Taking a lead in milk education

Leading powdered filled milk product Bear Brand has taken the lead in promoting milk education in the Philippines through its annual campaign dubbed as “Laki Sa Gatas”.

Now on its third year, Bear Brand “Laki Sa Gatas” visits hundreds of public elementary schools from various regions to educate students, parents, and teachers on the importance of drinking milk and how to make the right food choices to ensure proper nutrition.

Alarming decrease in milk consumption

“The prevalence of malnutrition coupled with the alarming decrease in milk consumption in recent years have made us realize the need to take on this cause,” explains Eugene David, Nestle Philippines Inc. (NPI) business executive manager for Dairy Health and Nutrition Solutions, the makers of Bear Brand.

 According to the National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), milk consumption had dramatically decreased among Filipino children as they get older. This is quite a concern considering the nutritional recommendation of one glass a day based on the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos. Milk is an excellent source of essential nutrients like protein, calcium, vitamin A and zinc very important for growth and development of these children.

Together with the Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines (NFP) and other healthcare professionals, children, parents, and teachers are reeducated on the nutritional value of milk and the importance of eating the right amounts of Go, Grow and Glow foods to have good nutrition.

 Educating children, parents and teachers

The Laki Sa Gatas program includes sessions for children on the value of good health and proper nutrition. These sessions include games and fun activities together with the facilitator, Kuya Benjie and the mascots Kuya Bear and Mama Bear that make learning more interesting and entertaining.

 Parents and teachers also take part in Laki Sa Gatas. Parent sessions involve lectures on how to make the right food choices for their families through effectively incorporating the Go, Grow, and Glow foods in their children’s diet. One of the most affordable and convenient ways to do this is by providing their children with at least two glasses of milk everyday.

The teachers, meanwhile, are trained to help them screen and address malnutrition problems among their students. A registered nutritionist dietitian leads the teacher’s session.

Successful campaign

The first two years of Laki Sa Gatas were successful. Bear Brand was able to visit over 1,600 schools across the country. Some of the schools visited by Laki Sa Gatas are located in the provinces of Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod, La Union, Pampanga and Batangas.

 “So far we are happy to announce that we have reached out to more than 700,000 students, 430,000 mothers, and 7,200 public school teachers,” reports David.

This year, Laki Sa Gatas aims to bring its milk education campaign to more schools to inculcate the importance of milk nutrition to more students, parents and teachers.