Organizational Governance

Kindergarten Lunch Program Improves Child Nutrition in Vietnam

The success of Morinaga Milk’s Smiles & Health for Children kindergarten lunch project in Vietnam provides a blueprint for the global company to expand its social impact to numerous other communities.

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Image: Morinaga Nutritional Foods Vietnam

Japanese milk products and sweets company Morinaga Milk Industry Co. has been exporting and selling infant formula through distributors in Vietnam since 2010. By making a local company a Morinaga Milk subsidiary in 2021, the company established a local manufacturing and retail framework for Morinaga brand products for its business development in Vietnam. Now, the company is looking to both build its business presence in Vietnam and cooperate with government authorities and NGOs to make a meaningful contribution to various communities as a local player. The Smiles & Health for Children kindergarten lunch project is just one concrete example of that corporate commitment in action.

Founded in Japan in 1917, Morinaga has a long history developing dairy products, infant formula and a wide range of items using unique functional bifidobacteria ingredients. The company started pursuing international business opportunities in the 1970s; today, global business accounts for approximately 40 percent of total profits and Morinaga is determined to develop into a responsible global company. As part of that drive, Morinaga Milk marked its 100th anniversary in 2017 with the announcement of a new corporate slogan: “For Ever Brighter Smiles.”

Multifaceted approach to nutrition and health in Vietnamese society

Morinaga Milk believes the Vietnamese market harbors great potential, and recent events have broadened consumer interest.

“The Vietnamese economy is growing — the average age of the population is as young as the low 30s, and employment rates among women are high,” explains Takashi Chihaya, General Manager of the International Division’s International Planning Management Department. “Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked health consciousness and boosted support for our zero-fat, low-sugar yogurt and functional lactic acid bacteria products.”

Chihaya also believes that offering nutritious products and engaging in national and regional development activities in tandem is the best way to steadily expand business and be embraced by local citizens. The Smiles & Health for Children kindergarten lunch project was launched in May 2023, together with international NGO World Vision Japan and Vietnam’s Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education and Training, to improve child health and nutrition in the Tuan Giao District of Dien Bien Province in the mountains nearly 600 km northwest of Hanoi.

Addressing infrastructure and training issues hindering healthy kindergarten lunches

Image credit: SUSCOM

The Morinaga Milk Group started pursuing its Sustainability Medium- to Long-term Plan 2030 in April 2022. The plan stipulates the Group’s Food and Wellness goal to contribute to the health of 300 million people by delivering high-quality value unique to Morinaga Milk Group. The kindergarten lunch project epitomizes its efforts to achieve the goal.

“The Smiles & Health for Children kindergarten lunch project is based on our For Ever Brighter Smiles corporate slogan, and reflects our desire to make Vietnamese children smile,” explains Chifumi Saito of the Planning Section in the International Planning Management Department. “The data suggest that many children in the area do not receive adequate nutrition at home, so the kindergarten lunches are their main nutrition source. We felt we could offer comprehensive child health and nutrition support to address the challenges of unsanitary cooking environments and low level of staff nutrition-related knowledge.”

The first stage of the program ran from May 2023 to April 2024 with the aim of improving kindergarten cooking and eating facilities, expanding nutrition and hygiene knowledge and skills, and teaching kindergarten staff and nurses how to measure and monitor child nutrition and health. The construction of school lunch preparation facilities in two kindergartens was completed in April 2024, and the buildings were donated to the Ministry of Education and Training Tuan Giao District office.

“There was no running water and people had to build a fire to cook,” Saito said. “We were so glad we followed through on the program when we saw the new hygienic cooking facilities equipped with water tanks and gas stoves and the smiling children eating lunch with tables, chairs and cutlery in a hygienic environment.”

The second phase of the program started in June 2024. Three additional district schools were added to the program, and coordinators have continued to monitor child health and nutrition and follow up the acquisition of nutrition- and hygiene-related expertise in the first-phase kindergartens.

“We heard that some staff are using the handbooks we gave them to conduct their own local community workshops,” Saito added. “We cannot solve the region’s nutrition issues at once, but it is important to keep doing what we can to help solve larger issues in the long run.”

Diverse internal and external engagement facilitates broader impacts

Morinaga Milk also created the Dairy Café pavilion at children’s amusement center KidZania Hanoi that enables children to experience different jobs and social situations. The children get to be “yogurt experts” who use Morinaga yogurt made and sold in Vietnam to develop their own healthy and delicious menus.

The International Division is creating posters illustrating these activities in Vietnam for distributing to Japanese and overseas bases.

“Employees in Japan may not come across Morinaga Milk’s global business expansion in their daily activities,” Saito said. “I want more employees to see how we can make more children smile through our global health and nutrition initiatives and to inspire greater internal cooperation.”

For Takashi Chihaya, the ultimate aim remains the same: “The best way forward is for Morinaga Milk to blur the lines between business activities and social contribution by focusing on putting the Vietnam business on a strong track and amassing experience in various social engagement activities.”