MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Unilever and the Department of Education (DepEd) have signed a landmark Memorandum of Agreement to launch a nutrition education initiative aimed at public school students, teachers, and parents across the country. This partnership will be spearheaded by the Knorr brand, and will mark a significant step toward improving nutritional awareness and fostering healthier eating habits among Filipino families.
Running from 2024 to 2026, the tie-up involves Unilever providing 40,000 USB drives containing educational videos on nutrition, as well as 60,000 recipe booklets co-created with the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI). These resources will be distributed to schools nationwide, with content produced in collaboration with GMA’s TV program “Makulay ang Buhay.” It will bring essential nutrition education directly to the classrooms, allowing both students and their families to make informed decisions about their health and diets.
“Knorr and Unilever have long been advocates for nutritious, delicious, and accessible meals,” said Marinelle Villanueva, Nutrition Business Lead at Unilever Philippines. “We’re thrilled to be working with DepEd as we empower our students across the country with engaging nutrition education content through ‘Makulay ang Buhay’,” she adds.
Knorr’s commitment to fighting undernutrition
Unilever’s dedication to tackling malnutrition in the Philippines has been at the heart of the Knorr brand mission for over two decades. In 2017, Knorr shifted its focus to education after realizing that feeding alone could not sustainably address the underlying causes of malnutrition. By collaborating with local chefs and nutritionists, Knorr developed 63 budget-friendly, healthy recipes designed to be both delicious and easy to prepare. These dishes have been incorporated into the brand’s Nutri-Sarap Program, which targets parents with educational modules on the importance of proper nutrition.
The success of the Nutri-Sarap Program has been remarkable, with program participants under five years old showing significant improvement and recovery from malnutrition. Recognized as a best-in-class initiative, Nutri-Sarap has been replicated in multiple markets, including Indonesia with the Royco Nutrimenu Program.
This was supplemented by the “Makulay ang Buhay”TV show, a first-of-its-kind branded edutainment program that taught children about the importance of nutrition in a fun and engaging manner. Across 13 episodes, the program used games, songs, and stories to promote healthy eating habits in less privileged Filipino families.
“Thank you very much to Unilever Philippines for the Makulay ang Buhay project. Teaching nutrition and producing shows for our youth will help immensely in shaping healthier habits for our learners,” said Sonny Angara, Secretary of the Department of Education during the October signing. Secretary Angara was joined by DepEd Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar in the MOA signing event for the shared nutrition education advocacy.
Unilever’s nutrition-focused programs have reached roughly 12.5 million Filipinos, with Knorr committing to aid in the advocacy by setting a goal of reaching a cumulative number of 15 million Filipinos with its own programs by 2030.
For more information about Unilever Philippines and Knorr, visit unilever.com.ph or knorr.com/ph.
