Nestlé Nido, a consumer goods brand, has held its Nido Nutrition Day in Accra to sensitise mothers on good nutrition to enable them to feed their children with nutritious foods.
A large number of women and school children attended the event at the Nii Sowah Din Memorial School in the Adenta Municipality of the Greater Accra Region. Nido Nutrition Day events, a nationwide project, seek to educate, engage and entertain mothers and caregivers on the importance of good nutrition through a series of talks, drama and games.
The programme is organised with the endorsement of the Ghana Education Service and implemented under the supervision of the School Health Education Programme in basic schools.
This year’s edition also coincided with the 60th anniversary celebrations of Nestlé. Over the past sixty years, Nestlé Ghana has been committed to healthy nutrition by providing safe and quality products that meet the nutritional needs of individuals and families.
Mr Edwin Amoako, the Category Manager for Dairy at Nestlé Ghana Ltd, said Nestlé was committed to improving the quality of lives of children in Ghana and the world over by providing nutritional products for children that helped address micro-nutrient deficiencies.
He said Nestlé had made a global commitment to help reduce the risk of under-nutrition through micro-nutrient fortification.Mr Amoako said the event would be held in schools across the country during the year to promote nutrition for children to ensure that they remained healthy to undertake sound academic exercises.
He said the brand had been able to engage with over 8,000 mothers from selected schools across the country over the past two years. Mr Amoako said Nestlé Ghana had formulated three new bold ambitions to be achieved by 2030 which are; Help 50 million children lead healthier lives; Improve 30 million livelihoods in communities connected to its business activities and; Strive for zero environmental impact in its operations.
Ms Paulina Akakpo, a mother and a petty trader, won a scholarship worth GH¢500 for her ward and a hamper of Nido products after she came first in a nutrition quiz as part of the programme.
Dr Priscilla Copson, a Nutritionist, who interacted with parents, counselled them on the need to give their children balanced diets, the importance of breakfast and the crucial health benefits of the right amounts of micronutrients such as iron, calcium and vitamins in the meals of growing children and adults.