Britannia Nutrition Foundation recently completed its 11 year anniversary in addressing child malnutrition in India.
Over these years, the Foundation has been collaborating with various government and non government stakeholders to address malnutrition and iron deficiency anemia among children, adolescents and women. The Foundation, through its holistic program approach, is working to improve the nutritional status of the communities near Britannia’s manufacturing sites.
As a part of its on-going commitment, the CSR arm of India’s Largest Bakery Foods Company, Britannia, is determined to positively impact over 1 lakh beneficiaries spread across more than 300 villages & slums in 8 states. This is being achieved through its two flagship programs – Swasth Bharat and Suposhan.
Swasth Bharat program is directed towards addressing malnutrition in children under 6 years by focusing on the main contributing factors, including child feeding practices, dietary diversity, hygiene & sanitation, strengthening service access and delivery. Engaging & empowering communities, especially women, is also an important element of the program to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition. Suposhan program addresses iron deficiency anemia among adolescents by taking a comprehensive approach in the development of knowledge and encouraging a positive attitude towards proper health, nutrition and hygiene practices. These programs are also extended through 300 Anganwadi Centres.
To date, through various initiatives, lives of lakhs of people have been touched across five states of Bihar, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka. The support is being expanded to more states including Tamil Nadu, Assam and Maharashtra with an aim to reach the length & breadth of the country.
Varun Berry, Trustee, Britannia Nutrition Foundation, said, “Child malnutrition is a chronic problem in India affecting 1 in every 3 children. The lack of access to nutrition leads to impaired growth and development. As we complete 11 years, Britannia Nutrition Foundation remains steadfast in its commitment to combat malnutrition and supporting the government’s vision for a ‘Kuposhan’ (malnutrition) and Anemia ‘Mukt’ Bharat. We are now enhancing our efforts to reach out to more than 1 lakh children, adolescents and mothers and working closely with district level authorities and other partners to augment their efforts.”
