Children are being encouraged to “Adopt a Fruit, Adopt a Vegetable” at flagship Carrefour locations across the United Arab Emirates, conducted in partnership with the Nestlé for Healthier Kids initiative which aims to help 50 million children lead healthier lives by 2030.
Mascots representing different fruits and vegetables will be touring 12 Carrefour stores in the seven Emirates over different weekends, helping bring to life various characters created out of fruits and vegetables with names and key benefits of each presented in a fun and appealing manner.
Parents will be offered one stamp for each fruit or vegetable their children try, which they can then redeem each three collected for a placemat that helps educate kids on healthy eating habits.
“At Carrefour we understand our customers’ purchasing habits and preferences. We already know that our UAE customers are becoming more health conscious and the success of our related offering like our Healthy Kitchen concept has supported this. However we still have a long way to go to embed healthy snacking habits across all residents and, as research tells us that a positive mind set towards, and enjoyment in, healthy eating starts in childhood. That’s why we are delighted to partner with Nestlé in this important initiative by providing a space for our nation’s children to explore fruit and vegetables in a way that is a fun and rewarding experience for them,” said Hani Weiss, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Retail that operates Carrefour in 15 markets in the region.
“Evidence from our various research* indicates that children will adopt healthier eating habits if educated about nutritious food options and inspired how to choose for themselves,” said Yves Manghardt, Chairman and CEO at Nestlé Middle East. “We are committed to supporting parents in their quest to promote healthy diet and lifestyle for their children and make healthy food the fun and the first choice for them. We also know very well that we can only materialize such an ambitious commitment through multi-sectoral partnerships.”
“According to the World Obesity Federation, child obesity will continue to rise in the UAE, affecting 14.62 per cent of its '20 years and under' population by 2020, up from 12.4 per cent in 2013,” said Dr. Wafaa Ayesh, Director of the Clinical Nutrition Department at the Dubai Health Authority. “It is one of the top 10 health priorities in the region considering its implication on other related health issues, including rising rates of diabetes and prediabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and overall cardiovascular health.”
One of Nestlé Middle East’s key published commitments to society is to provide nutritionally sound products designed for children, which has translated since 2015 in the launch of more than thirty such products in the region.
For more information, please contact:
Lynn Al Khatib
Media Relations Manager, Nestlé Middle East
[email protected]
Editor’s Note
The Nestlé for Healthier Kids global initiative aims to help 50 million children lead healthier lives by 2030, through leading research in children nutrition, product innovation and the introduction of healthier foods, as well as education and innovative nutrition and lifestyle programs and services developed and implemented with partners around the globe.
In the Middle East, Nestlé for Healthier Kids includes child nutrition research, and working closely with governments, academia, and other entities on developing and implementing school nutrition education programs such as Ajyal Salima, which has reached more than 90,000 children in six countries since its launch in 2010. More than 700,000 people across the region have also been reached through community programs that include social media education, and on-ground activities such as the “Adopt a Fruit, Adopt a Vegetable” outreach. Another key initiative is the TummyFish mobile App, encouraging children to choose water, which has been downloaded over 200,000 times.
For more information on what Nestlé is doing for healthier kids: https://www.nestle.com/healthierkids
Participating “Adopt a Fruit, Adopt a Vegetable” MAF Carrefour stores in the UAE:
Abu Dhabi:
- Marina Mall
- Yas Mall Ajman City Center
Al-Ain: Al Jimi Mall
Dubai:
- Springs Souk
- Mall of Emirates
- Deira City Center
- IBN Batuta Mall
- Mirdiff City Center
Fujeira City Center
Ras Al-Khaimah Manal Mall
Sharjah City Center
* References: * Habib Mourad et al. Education and health August 2014. Habib Mourad et al. BMC Public Health Sept 2014. Habib Mourad et al. Frontier in Public Health; April 2015-0005.
About Carrefour
Carrefour is one of the largest hypermarket and supermarket chains in the world. The brand was launched in the region in 1995 by Majid Al Futtaim, which is the exclusive franchisee to operate Carrefour in 38 countries across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Today, Majid Al Futtaim operates over 260 Carrefour stores, serving more than 750,000 customers daily and employing over 37,000 colleagues.
Carrefour operates different store formats, as well as multiple online offerings to meet the growing needs of its diversified customer base. In line with the brand’s commitment to provide the widest range of quality products and value for money, Carrefour offers an unrivalled choice of more than 100,000 food and non-food products, and an exemplary customer experience to create great moments for everyone everyday.
Carrefour was launched in the UAE in 1995. Today, Carrefour operates 28 hypermarkets and 69 supermarkets, employing more than 11,000 colleagues.