Nestlé has developed or sponsored many community education programs around the world to improve understanding of the importance of nutrition and physical activity to health. Good eating habits start at an early age, so much of our focus is on schools. The total number of people reached by Nestlé education programs and initiatives is over 10 million.

• France & EU: The Nestlé-sponsored program ‘Together Let’s Prevent Childhood Obesity’ started as a pilot project in 1992 in northern France. It has now been adopted by 10 other French cities and several other European countries, and has created the EU-funded Prevent Childhood Obesity Network of which Nestlé is a founding sponsor.
• Switzerland and Hungary: The Nutrikid program is a joint venture between the Swiss Society of Nutrition, Nestlé Alimentarium (food museum) and Nestlé Switzerland and Hungary, reaching 170,000 students with classroom kits offering nutrition education in the form of videos, game cards and books.
• Brazil: 800,000 children aged 5-14 have benefited from our Nutrir program, which trains Nestlé volunteers to promote nutrition, hygiene and health through games and play.
• Thailand: 5,000 primary schools have been reached through the Healthy Thai Kids wellness in school campaign.

Members of the the Nestlé Nutrition Duchess Club, passing on practical food and  hygiene information in open air market.

Sharing nutrition knowledge in the community
The Nestlé Nutrition Duchess Club is an informal, all-female association in Nigeria with the aim of empowering women through knowledge and skills in nutrition, home management, entrepreneurship and leadership. The Duchess Club provides nutrition education workshops focusing on healthier eating habits, food safety and food management for mothers and homemakers. The Duchess Club has 530 members who have reached over half a million women.

Nido Nutrition System
Nestlé’s NIDO Nutrition System, which has achieved sales of CHF 1.2 billion in just five years, lays the foundation for healthy development in early childhood. It now incorporates Lactobacillus PROTECTUS to strengthen the immune system against germs, as well as Prebio in pre-school milks for children under 5 years old, and Calci-N for continued healthy bone growth in children.

The NIDO Nutrition System was launched in the Philippines in 2000 repositioning NIDO FORTIFIED Milk with added vitamins A and D. The promotion concentrated on the ‘10 signs of good nutrition’ for children, such as clear skin, good muscle development, sleeping well and being alert and cheerful, developed by the Nutritionists-Dietitians Association of the Philippines Foundation. On-pack information was supported by a wide range of celebrity-endorsed communications, such as point-of-sale materials, print, radio and television advertising, and feature articles in magazines. In addition to increased consumer awareness of the benefits of good nutrition, the campaign resulted in 8% sales growth of the more nutritious product in the Philippines in 2006, and its roll out as a global campaign was started in 2007.

Communicating with health professionals
For more than 60 years, Nestlé has contributed to the continuing nutrition education of health professionals through scientific publications, workshops and scholarships. In 2007, the NRC published 200 peer-reviewed research publications, and some 4,000 medical delegates communicate with healthcare professionals on a daily basis over the course of the year.

The Nestlé Nutrition Institute^TM (NNI) is an educational organization providing a forum for health professionals to share information about the latest developments in paediatric, clinical and performance nutrition. The NNI has held more than 70 global Nestlé Nutrition Workshops and granted more than 500 postgraduate scholarships to young paediatricians, paramedics and scientists from developing regions.

Nestlé has also produced more than 3,000 publications, including Annales Nestlé and The Nest for paediatric health professionals, and Clinical Nutrition Highlights, a scientific journal for clinical nutritionists. A range of other material in print, audio-visual and electronic formats is available in English, French and Spanish on the Nestlé Nutrition Institute . There is also access to an online medical and scientific library, educational tools, online workshops (webinars) and information on forthcoming events to young paediatricians, health professionals and scientists.