During the Covid-19 crisis, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) predicted that the pandemic may increase nutritional deficiencies among Malaysian children. Such an imbalance will negatively impact a child’s health, growth and development.
In Malaysia, one in five children under five years of age is stunted or fails to reach the potential height for their age. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a child may have to live with the consequences for life if the problem is not identified and remedied before they turn two years old. Therefore, prioritising strategies to combat childhood malnutrition is vital.
Alleviating malnutrition nationally
The Health Ministry (MOH) has stated their commitment to lowering the national childhood malnutrition rate from 21.3% in 2019 to 8% by 2030. Their #AnakMalaysiaSihat campaign is aimed at educating the public about proper nutrition and reducing the prevalence of stunting caused by malnutrition.
Also offering their support, the Education Ministry (MOE) has begun health awareness and preventive intervention initiatives in schools – such as the Amalan Perkhidmatan Kantin Terbaik campaign, and the Rancangan Makanan Tambahan (RMT) supplementary food programme.
Supporting MOE’s mission, dairy producer Farm Fresh worked with children from 64 schools as part of the RMT and Program Susu Sekolah (PSS) initiatives. Further promoting the benefits of milk, the Generasi Farm Fresh 2022 roadshow travelled to over 20 schools in Peninsular Malaysia.
Shaping nutritious eating habits from home
Good nutrition starts at home, but increased urbanisation has caused a shift in family lifestyles. Modern parents are caught up with work, relying on more convenient options when it comes to family food planning, and children are noticeably moving towards an inactive lifestyle. However, by following the food pyramid published by MOH, busy parents can easily plan nutritious family meals.
The food pyramid ensures a balanced diet by including fruit, vegetables, carbohydrate and protein rich foods, as well as two servings of dairy products per day.
One of the recommended food groups, milk is an excellent option for supplementing a child’s diet. Being abundant in nutrients, it promotes their healthy growth and development.
Bridging the nutrition gap with Farm Fresh
While supporting initiatives enhancing Malaysians’ nutritional literacy, Farm Fresh Grow aims to create better awareness of the goodness of natural growing-up milk for children which is also fortified with essential vitamins and minerals.
Farm Fresh Grow is a ready-to-drink UHT-formulated growing-up milk that contains high natural calcium, and is made from pure cow’s milk. It is enriched with DHA (Algae), high protein, calcium, vitamin D3, inulin fibre, choline, taurine, iron, magnesium, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin C, and other essential nutrients to ensure a child’s optimum growth. It also has the lowest content of carbohydrates compared to seven milk powder brands in the market.
The liquid ready-to-drink packs (125ml and 200ml) are portable and easy to consume, offering working parents the advantage of conveniently incorporating them into their children’s daily meal planning.
An ideal option for a healthier growing up milk, Farm Fresh Grow is not an ordinary UHT milk just for snacking. It contains no unnecessary ingredients such as hidden sugars (Maltodextrin), and no added vegetable oils or calcium carbonate.
Nutritional awareness promotes smarter food choices from an early age, helping to guard against malnutrition in the long term. Including Farm Fresh Grow when planning family meals is a convenient way to ensure that children enjoy the goodness of milk so vital to their growth.
Farm Fresh Grow is now available at 99 Speedmart, Jaya Grocer, AEON, Lulu hypermarket, Village Grocer, 7-Eleven, Sogo, Tunas Manja, KNL, Selections outlets throughout Peninsular Malaysia.
To purchase Farm Fresh products online, visit the official Farm Fresh TikTok shop, Subplace.com (for Farm Fresh Grow subscription) or contact any of our stockists in Peninsular Malaysia to reach your nearest Home Dealer.
For more details on Farm Fresh Grow, click here.