CHI Limited, Tetra Pak partner to improve nutritional content
With a view to fighting malnutrition amongst children in Nigeria, CHI Limited is partnering Tetra Pak to explore opportunities for feasible food and beverage solutions.
The joint initiative will see the two companies develop feasible solutions for providing healthy nourishment for Nigerian children.
To achieve this, the companies will undertake an in-depth assessment of the ground realities of the nutritional requirements and the need gaps specific to children in Nigeria. This partnership will provide a platform for the involvement of relevant major stakeholders, institutes, governmental and non-governmental organisations for the delivery of nutrition solutions to the Nigerian children.
CHI Limited is a leading producer of high quality fruit juice, dairy and snacks products in Nigeria, while Tetra Pak is a global leading food processing and packaging solutions company.
CHI is one of the largest partners of Tetra Pak in Africa, using many of its packaging solutions to serve safe, innovative and environmentally-friendly products to customers across the country.
C G Vink, chairman, Chi Limited (the flagship company of the TGI Group), said: “Child nutrition is important to our country’s future and being a proudly Nigerian company, we are committed to putting in our best to the building and shaping a healthy and brighter Nigeria.”
Dennis Jönsson, president and chief executive officer of Tetra Pak, said: “Tetra Pak has partnered with governments, customers and other public and private partners to support school feeding programmes around the world for more than 50 years, promoting children’s right to nutrition, health and education as well as helping to build the demand for locally produced and processed products. We are happy to have formed a strong partnership with Chi in Nigeria.”
The 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey says up to 80 percent of Nigerian children suffer from nutrition deficiencies, particularly from Iron, zinc and vitamins. This has led to slower brain development, concentration issues, weak immune system as well as underdevelopment of memory, vision and hearing.
Experts say investments in education are significantly undermined if children are not nourished properly. According to the 2013 survey, over one-thirds of Nigerian children are malnourished to the extent that their physical growth is measurably reduced compared to children in peer countries.
According to various available statistics from international and research institutions, as many as 11 million children in Nigeria are suffering from stunted growth occasioned by chronic malnutrition.
Chi Limited has a range of tasty and nutritional brands such as Chivita 100% Fruit Juice, Chi Exotic Nectar, Chi Happy Hour, Caprisonne and Hollandia Yoghurt, among others.
Tetra Pak has more than 23,000 employees based in over 80 countries. Its motto ‘Protects What’s Good™’ reflects a vision to make food safe and available, everywhere.
ODINAKA ANUDU