Minute Maid Nurisha Supplementary Program
Micronutrient-fortified orange juice drink ‘Minute Maid Nurisha’ launched
Coca-Cola Philippines releases new beverage to help fight iron and micronutrient deficiencies in celebration of Nutrition Month
QUEZON CITY, July 22, 2015 – Minute Maid, a subsidiary brand of The
Coca-Cola Company, recently launched ‘Minute Maid Nurisha,’ a great tasting,
orange-flavored, micronutrient-fortified juice drink to help sustainably
address Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) and micronutrient deficiencies among
school-aged Filipino children at Sauyo Elementary School in Quezon City.
 |
| About 300 students of Sauyo Elementary School in the 6th District of Quezon City actively participate as Coca-Cola Philippines launch Minute Maid Nurisha - a great tasting, orange flavoured juice drink that helps sustainably address Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) and other micronutirent deficiencies that are often prevalent in Filipino school-aged children. |
In a recent program partnership agreement signed with the Office of
Congressman Kit Belmonte and with the support of the Office of the Vice Mayor
Joy Belmonte, and the DepEd Division of City Schools, Coca-Cola Philippines
commits to provide 3,500 school children in the 6th District of
Quezon City. Through the Minute Maid Nurisha Supplementary Program, Coca-Cola
Philippines aims to help improve the health and well-being of school children.
 |
| Nearly 50 associates of the Coca-Cola Philippines joined in the fun as students of Sauyo Elementary School in Quezon City participate in various palarong pinoy activities such as patintero, tumbang preso and agawan base at the launch of Minute Maid Nurisha, a great tasting, orange flavoured juice drink that helps sustainably address Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) and other micronutrient deficiencies common in children aged six to nine, to help children stay active and healthy. |
Since 2005, Coca-Cola Philippines has worked with the Food and Nutrition
Research Institute (FNRI) of the Department of Science and Technology to
develop a beverage that will help alleviate Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA)
through the NutriJuice Program. The efficacy study conducted in 2006 has
yielded very positive results among children suffering from IDA.
 |
| Ako ay isang batang Nurisha. A beneficiary of the Minute Maid Nurisha Supplementary Program recites a 'panunumpa' to always stay nourished by being healthy, active and happy. |
This year, Coca-Cola expanded the partnership with FNRI to develop a
wider spectrum beverage product that will not only help address IDA but also
the overall micronutrient deficiencies among school children through the Minute
Maid Nurisha Supplementary Program. Using the fruit and nature expertise of the
Minute Maid brand, Coca-Cola with FNRI developed a new clinically proven
orange-juice drink that helps deliver 14 key nutrients to address common
nutrient gaps in a child’s diet. Minute Maid Nurisha is given to school
children ages 6 to 9 for free for a period of 120 days.
“Globally, we believe that nourishing the youth of today enables us to help build better and stronger communities tomorrow. We continuously strive to develop and innovate our products that help improve the well-being not only of our business, but of our consumers and the communities we serve. This is the very reason why Minute Maid Nurisha is not sold in your local grocery stores but distributed for free only through our partners, Department of Education, and the local government,” shares Adel Tamano, Coca-Cola Philippines Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications.
According to the 2008 National Nutrition Survey, malnutrition,
specifically IDA - occurs in 19.8% or roughly three million children in the
Philippines.
“IDA may lead to several health and economic problems including stunted growth, tiredness, poor work performance and physical and cognitive underdevelopment. It is best to treat IDA as early as possible,” shares Dr. Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa, Ph.D., Assistant Scientist, FNRI-DOST.
“The health and well-being of our students here in Quezon City is our outmost priority and we look forward to another great partnership with Coca-Cola,” concludes Hon. Kit Belmonte, 6th District Representative of Quezon City.
Dr. Helen Grace Go, Division Superintendent of the Division of City Schools says that the Minute Maid Nurisha Supplementary Program further highlights the value of partnerships between the government and the private sector in creating projects that are instrumental towards addressing the needs of students, teachers, and schools alike. “In programs like Adopt-a-School, we are able to open channels for private institutions like Coca-Cola to help provide a conducive learning environment to the students,” she further mentions.
About 300 students enjoyed Minute Maid Nurisha drinks, and had fun
playing traditional Filipino games with volunteer associates of Coca-Cola
Philippines. Meanwhile, their parents and teachers learned about the benefits
of the product and how to create healthy meals that are within budget.
 |
| Hon. Kit Belmonte, 6th District Representative of Quezon City, Dr. Helen Grace Go, Division Superintendent of the Division of City Schools, Dr. Arsenio Honrejas, Jr., Prinicipal of Sauyo Elementary school receive a certificate of Donation of Minute Maid Nurisha, a great tasting orange flavoured juice drink that helps sustainably address Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) and other micronutrient deficiencies found in school aged-children from Diego Granizo, President and General Manager of Coca-Cola Philippines, Cecile Alcantara, President of the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc., and Adel Tamano, Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications, Coca-Cola Philippines. |
Minute Maid Nurisha is high in iron, which alleviates IDA, and contains
14 essential nutrients such as Zinc, Vitamins A, B-complex, C, D, and E; that
aid a child’s physical and mental growth and development. Minute Maid Nurisha
Supplementary Program also aims to promote an active healthy lifestyle among
children at an early age.
 |
| Parents of students from Sauyo Elementary School were also given guidelines how to create healthy meals for their family and children that are still within budget. |
Since 2008, the supplementary feeding program of Coca-Cola has impacted
242,000 children over the country. This year, the Company targets to impact
30,000 more.
Minute Maid Nurisha is not commercially sold. The
implementation of the Minute Maid Nurisha Supplementary Program is under the
Adopt-A-School Program partnership of Coca-Cola Philippines with the Department
of Education. Coca-Cola Philippines is open to partner with public elementary
school systems and other like-minded organizations. For interested
organizations and/or schools, please send a letter of interest to Coca-Cola via
Social_CokePH@coca-cola.com.
For more information on efforts around malnutrition of The Coca-Cola
Company, please visit the nutrition section of the sustainability website:
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company
(NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with
more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by
Coca-Cola, one of the world's most valuable and recognizable brands, our
Company's portfolio features 17 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero,
vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid,
Simply, Georgia and Del
Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages,
ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's
largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries
enjoy our beverages
at a rate of 1.9 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to
building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that
reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living,
create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the
economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with
our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with
more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey
at www.coca-colacompany.com,
follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo, visit our blog, Coca-Cola
Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com or find us
on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.
