French Polynesia is ahead of the United States in global obesity levels and among the top 30 countries according to a report by the International Obesity Tasforce. Childhood obesity is a growing threat, in a country where 25% of kids aged 6 to 8 are overweight, with child obesity growing up to 50% over the past 3 years. Furthermore, 20% of the Polynesian population is diabetic. During the International Congress on Obesity in August 2002, was stated how today's youth will be "the first generation where children will die before their parents".
As the leading food and beverage company in Polynesia, Nestlé is committed to the cause and drives the fight against obesity and diabetes educating kids aged 6 to 8 years old about nutrition and healthy lifestyles.
The goal of Nestlé's School Nutrition Programme is to teach the next generations good eating habits and healthy lifestyles. For this purpose, an active partnership was developed with primary schools that participate in the nutrition and health education programme.
In 2005 was implemented a School Breakfast Programme to teach children the benefits of healthy eating and provide them with the knowledge of healthy food choices.
In 2006, pedagogic tools about nutrition were developed and the breakfast programme spread to a number of new schools. Pedagogic workshops on the benefits of milk were also organised where children learned about the process of making milk and its importance in a child's diet through game and play.
Above: Exploring the path of a milk drop - an interactive and fun presentation about milk nutrients (calcium, proteins, vitamins, etc.) and their benefits
In 2007, a Nutrition Road Show took place in 15 schools, impacting 2000 kids. A complement to school nutrition lessons, this interactive clown show conveyed the message that nutrition and adequate physical activity were both essential to health. Nutrition booklets were handed out to kids for them to share what they had learned with their parents and to further encourage them to adopt a healthy lifestyle. The programme was endorsed by the Ministry of Education who took part in the assessment and optimisation of the pedagogic tools developed for the programme.
Furthermore, in 2007 MILO football workshops and tournaments were organised and major school sport activities were also sponsored in order to encourage children to practice a regular physical activity.
In 2008, a Comic Strip Contest open to 8-10 year olds led to a unique encounter with 98 Football World Cup champion, Zinedine Zidane!
Led by their teachers, each class of children created a comic strip promoting wellness and a healthy lifestyle. Nestlé offered an incredible prize for the winning team: the class that designed the best comic strip was invited to participate in an exclusive football event involving the "France 98" team.
France 98 is the team that won the Football World Cup in 1998 and the European Cup in 2000, and includes famous members like Zinedine Zidane, Robert Pires and Laurent Blanc. When France 98 played in Tahiti on May 26, the winning comic artists accompanied this star team onto the field, holding hands with the world champions in front of the crowded stadium and TV cameras. Besides this privilege, the children also had their photos taken with the players, before watching the game from VIP seats.
No doubt this will have encouraged these children to devote their attention to the importance of physical activity and nutrition, as a means to health and wellbeing!
Right: Running for glory with Christian Karembeu