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Nestlé UK and PhunkyFoods join forces on new healthy kids programme

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Nestlé UK
Nestlé UK joins forces with PhunkyFoods

Nestlé UK has partnered with PhunkyFoods, an award-winning independent curriculum-based healthy eating and activity programme, on a new Healthy Kids Programme, which will reach 76,000 children between 2012 and 2015.

Through the Nestlé UK Healthy Kids Network, Nestlé will support PhunkyFoods with £820,000 on an ambitious new three-year initiative – helping to expand PhunkyFoods’ reach to an extra 339 primary schools around the UK and facilitating a large-scale research project by Leeds Metropolitan University  to measure the impact of regular healthy lifestyle lessons on children’s health.

Accredited by Business in the Community and supported by the Royal Society of Public Health and Change4Life, PhunkyFoods was founded in 2005 in response to the Government’s White Paper ‘Choosing Health’ 2004.  This stressed that the UK’s current obesity epidemic is the shared responsibility of those in the food industry and government as well as parents and schools, and called for an informed approach on the matter to help inspire children.

The programme aims to generate a positive change in the BMI of children and to address the rising level of childhood obesity across the UK. While funding partners help make the programme available to children across the UK, the editorial content of PhunkyFoods curriculum, website and resources are written by registered nutritionists and consultant teachers, and are completely independent of any company or product branding.

Nestlé UK will fund the programme as part of the company’s global Healthy Kids initiative, which is designed to raise nutrition, health and wellness awareness of school-age children around the world. Nestlé runs Healthy Kids schemes in over 60 countries world-wide, working in partnership with NGOs, government and nutritionists to tackle health challenges such as obesity.

Commenting on the partnership, Dr Jennie Cockroft, co-founder of PhunkyFoods said: “At PhunkyFoods we understand the serious issues schools face regarding lack of funding.  Our partnership with Nestlé UK will have a profound and positive impact on tackling the worrying trend of childhood obesity in the UK.  Furthermore the research will offer ground-breaking information on the impact of how PhunkyFoods is changing childrens’ attitudes towards healthy living.”

Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Nestlé Consultant, Dr Miriam Stoppard commented:  “The PhunkyFoods Healthy Kids Programme is one of the highest quality initiatives of its kind I have come across anywhere in the world bringing about changes in eating and exercise behaviours in schoolchildren.

“The programme will not only improve the health and wellbeing of schoolchildren it will, through a scientific collaboration with the Department of Nutrition at Leeds Metropolitan University, yield independent, ground-breaking research to support roll-out of the programme to children throughout the UK. The prospects of this enterprise are very exciting as they could change the long-term health and wellbeing of children, families and communities, something I greatly wish to help bring about.”

Liz Read, Nutritionist, Nestlé UK said; “Our global Healthy Kids programme is making a tangible difference to children’s understanding of nutrition and health right across the world. Drawing on this breadth of expertise, our new UK programme represents a significant investment in health education for children in our communities. We very excited about the programme’s potential in terms of direct health benefits to the 76,000 children involved. “


-ENDS-
For further information please contact:

Nicholas Boole, PhunkyFoods: 01845 578193 or 07877 223280; [email protected]
Nestlé UK Press Office – [email protected]; 020 8667 6005

 

Notes for Editors
Nestlé UK Healthy Kids Network, in partnership with PhunkyFoods

  • Between 2012 and 2015 Nestlé will support PhunkyFoods on an ambitious new three-year programme of work which will reach all primary schools in our Nestlé communities.
  • Nestle is investing £820,000 in the programme
  • This three year programme includes:
    • Funding the roll-out of the Phunky Foods curriculum in all primary schools in Nestlé UK’s locations – York, Gatwick, Carlisle, Tutbury (South Derbyshire), Carlisle, Girvan (Ayrshire), Fawdon (Newcastle) and Halifax
    • In Year One (2012/13) the programme will be rolled out in York and Tutbury; in Year Two (2013/14) Gatwick and Crawley; in Year Three Girvan, Dalston and Halifax
    • Funding a team of nutritionists to support schools in our communities deliver the PhunkyFoods programme
    • Funding the development of PhunkyFoods’ website and online tools for parents, so that the programme can run beyond the classroom
    • A research project at Leeds Metropolitan University to fully evaluate the impact of PhunkyFoods on improving the health of children participating in the programme. This project will take place in Halifax.

PhunkyFoods

PhunkyFoods  (www.phunkyfoods.com) was founded in 2005 in response to the Government’s White Paper ‘Choosing Health’ 2004.  This stressed that the UK’s current obesity epidemic is the shared responsibility of those in the food industry and government as well as parents and schools, and called for an informed approach on the matter to help inspire children.

 
  • The PhunkyFoods programme tailored to develop life skills about nutrition, physical activity and food choice in children from Early Years to Key Stage 2.  As a consequence it is delivered in a curriculum-based setting developed by Dr Jennie Cockroft, one of the UK’s leading registered nutritionists.  It also embraces a special needs curriculum with lesson plans centred on healthy eating through fun activities including drama, art, music, games and hands-on experience with food.
  • The programme is accredited by BITC and endorsed by the School Food Trust and Royal Society of Public Health.  Since its launch the programme has been adopted by 1,022 schools with a further 275 scheduled to join in September 2012.
  • PhunkyFoods is a subsidiary of multi-award-winning nutritional experts, Purely Nutrition which was founded by serial entrepreneur, Sorrell Fearnall and public health nutritionist, Jennie Cockroft.  The company’s programmes are subsidised for schools with financial assistance from leading food groups: Nestlé, 2 Sisters Food Group and McCain Foods, whose welcome support is conditional on a no product placement policy.
  • Founded in 2009, the objective of the Nestlé Healthy Kids Global Programme is to raise nutrition, health and wellness awareness of school-age children around the world. The programme forms an integral part of our commitment to improving global nutrition and health through the promotion of greater awareness, improved knowledge and effective practice of healthy eating and regular physical activity.
  • The programme currently runs in over 60 countries worldwide and the aim is to implement the scheme in all countries where Nestlé operates.
  • The programme is based on multi-partnership approaches, and more than 50 Healthy Kids programmes around the world are endorsed by national ministries of health or education. Additionally, Nestlé works together with over 250 other organisations including NGOs, nutrition institutes, national sport federations and local governments. While our nutrition expertise is at the heart of these programmes, Nestlé is not an education specialist. Healthy Kids programmes are therefore implemented by our partners and designed in collaboration with them.

Nestlé UK

 
  • Nestlé UK has approximately 7,000 employees across 19 sites and comprises: Nestlé UK (Food & Beverage, Confectionery and Food Services), Nestlé Ireland, Nestlé Purina Petcare, Nestlé Waters,  Nestlé Nutrition, Jenny Craig, Nespresso, Cereal Partners UK (a joint venture with General Mills) and Lactalis-Nestlé Chilled Dairy (a joint venture with Lactalis).
  • In the UK, the company manufactures some of Nestlé’s most popular and iconic brands, including KIT KAT® (the UK’s No 1 selling biscuit), QUALITY STREET®, NESCAFÉ®, SHREDDED WHEAT®, BUXTON®, NESTLÉ® PURE LIFE® water, SKI® yoghurt and BAKERS and FELIX® petfood.