by Rome Jorge
To foster a healthier generation of Filipinos, Knorr and Ogilvy & Mather Philippines have taken a page from a well loved children’s folk song.
Knorr presents The Bahay Kubo Seed Book. “We created eco-friendly paper and embedded seeds in each page 18 different vegetables you can plant,” explains a video that was created along with the book by Ogilvy & Mather Philippines for Knorr. Knorr, of course, is a German food and beverage brand owned by the English-Dutch company Unilever since 2000 and is best known in the Philippines for its powdered soup mixes, condiments, and bouillons.
The book illustrates the traditional Filipino folk song “Bahay Kubo [Nipa Hut]” composed by National Artist Felipe Padilla de Leon that all Filipinos know at an early age. The 18 vegetables enumerated in the song are the same ones illustrated and imbedded into the handmade paper of the Seed Book.
sinkamas [turnip]
talong [eggplant]
sigarilyas [winged bean]
mani [peanut]
sitaw [string bean]
bataw [hyacinth bean]
patani [lima bean]
kundol [wax gourd]
patola [luffa]
upo [white squash]
kalabasa [pumpkin]
labanos [radish]
mustasa [mustard]
sibuyas [onion]
kamatis [tomato]
bawang [garlic]
luya [ginger]
linga [sesame]
Children would cut out the pieces of the Seed Book pages and plant them in pots and school gardens, the cellulose in the biodegradable handmade paper naturally composting around the seeds.
“The planted seed book page showed signs of growth in four to six days. The book is now an integral part of one of the largest feeding programs in the Philippines. Knorr has helped 600,000 malnourished children in the country as of 2016. We got children to grow their own vegetables, so they can grow healthy themselves,” notes the video.
Much needed book
Four million Filipino children are estimated to be suffering from malnutrition according to the National Nutritional Council, 2016. “Filipino kids these days have developed a preference for junk food. A lot are into instant noodles. When it comes to eating vegetables, it’s clear they dislike it,” notes teacher Alma, feeding program coordinator, Javalera Elementary School, General Trias, Cavite, Philippines. “Looking at FNRI [Food and Nutrition Research Institute] studies, eating of vegetables among Filipinos is at an all-time low these past 30 years,” explains Mayrick Prinsepe, board member of the Nutritionist -Dietitians Association of the Philippines.
Studies show that children are more likely to eat vegetables if they are involved in the preparation. This according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, USA, hence The Seed Book that involves children in planting their own vegetables from the pages of their own book that illustrates a song they all know and love.
“The Knorr Seed Book” by Ogilvy & Mather Philippines was a contender for the 2016 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
