Kellogg, The Breakfast Revolution & Sesame Workshop India Join Hands to Combat Morning Hunger

November 26, 2019, Mumbai - Kellogg India Private Limited joins hands with The Breakfast Revolution and Sesame Workshop India in a collaborative initiative aptly called ‘Bright Start’. The program brings a spot of sunshine to 5,764 underprivileged children primarily based in Maharashtra and Karnataka, with a nutritious breakfast to start their day.

Kellogg defines its purpose as ‘Nourishing India’s Potential’ and has promised to provide a ‘Bright Start’ to 100,000 children from the underprivileged section of society by 2022. ‘Bright Start’ food is rich in protein, calcium and iron. It is enriched with key Vitamin B Group, Vitamin C and zinc.

Mohit Anand, MD, Kellogg India Private Limited said, “We believe no child should face the day on an empty stomach, as morning hunger is the enemy of learning. A child’s future starts with a nutritious breakfast. It’s not just the most important meal of the day. It’s the most important meal in their life. Bright Start is a spot of sunshine to the 5,764 children at this stage and we hope to provide them with an equal opportunity at learning and meeting their aspirations and together nourish their potential. Nutrition is at the core of Kellogg’s legacy since 100+ years and our work around the world has shown the difference that sustained nutrition can make to children.”

In an attempt to address this issue of nutrition among children in India that occurs partly due to morning hunger and unhealthy eating habits Kellogg has collaborated with The Breakfast Revolution (TBR) and Sesame Workshop India (SWI) to mobilize and engage communities and impact children positively. ‘The Breakfast Revolution’ is the on-ground implementation partner for Bright Start. They identify schools, locations and centres which can join the Bright Start programme as beneficiaries. Dr. Pankaj Jethwani, co-founder of TBR said “Kellogg and TBR have come together to form a unique partnership – ‘Bright Start’.

Dr. Pankaj Jethwani, Co-Founder, The Breakfast Revolution said “India is in the midst of a malnutrition epidemic. ~80% of Indian children do not eat breakfast and the mid-day meal at school is their first meal of the day. 80% of our children suffer from ‘hidden hunger’ (micronutrient deficiency). More than a third of our children are underweight. This leads to reduced learning (by 20%) and lifelong productivity (by 10%). Bright Start is helping unlock the true potential of India’s future, our children”.

Sonali Khan, Managing Director, Sesame Workshop India, speaks of the importance of the program in catalyzing change. “Eating habits established early, in the years when brain growth is most rapid, have consequences through life. Our research in Dharavi shows that caregivers know that children need to eat well to be healthy but few are aware that skipping or skimping breakfast can actually affect a child’s ability to learn at school. They were pleasantly surprised to learn that it is quite easy to increase the nutritional value of the morning meal with resources they have at hand. These small changes can make an incremental difference to a child’s well-being and abilities over time.”

The partners see this as the beginning of a movement and hope to reach many more children over time.  With their resolve to feed nutritious breakfast to children, train families to harness and hold on to the benefits of nutrition through simple habits like hand-washing, and monitor the changes the programme brings, they intend to empower communities to break an intergenerational cycle of malnutrition.  Wouldn’t you call that a Bright Start?

1.       Ptomey etal L.T. (2016) Breakfast Intake and Composition is Associated with Superior Academic Achievement in Elementary School Children. J Am Coll Nutr.May-Jun; 35(4): 326-333

2.       Adole A.A. & Ware M.B. (2014) Assessment of breakfast eating habits and its association with cognitive performance of early adolescents (11-13 years) in Shebedino District, Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences 2(4): 130-137

3.       Littlecot H.J. etal (206) Association between breakfast consumption and educational outcomes in 9-11 year-old children. Public Health Nutr. Jun; 19(9); 1575-1582

About Kellogg India Private Limited:

Kellogg’s is a pioneering global food brand and offers a variety of nourishing breakfast cereals and snacking options. Kellogg Company entered India in 1994 and since then Kellogg India Private Limited has innovated, invested in and built the breakfast cereal category in the country. We serve consumers with a wide range of cereals which are made with staple grains like wheat, corn, rice and ragi oats (oats is not staple in India). Our range of cereals cater to all family, children and adults and some of the loved brands include Kellogg’s Corn Flakes®, Kellogg’s CHOCOS®, Kellogg’s Muesli, Kellogg’s Chocos Fills & Kellogg’s Oats.

Guided by a set of values like integrity, accountability and humility; we define our purpose as ‘Nourishing India’s Potential’. Research* shows that 1 in 3 urban Indians claim to skip breakfast and 3 in 4 have a nutritionally inadequate breakfast. We passionately believe in the power and promise that comes from eating a nourishing breakfast. It's the first fuel for our bodies—nourishing us for today, tomorrow and for life. We are actively looking to spread awareness on benefits of breakfast and relevance of cereals in India through multiple initiatives.

To know more about our responsible leadership, foods that delight and how we strive to make difference to our communities around the globe, please visit www.kelloggcompany.com. For India specific information, please visit www.kelloggs.in.

* Research titled “Nutritional Adequacy of Breakfast: Its relationship to daily nutrient intake among children, adolescents and adults”* was conducted by Research Centre, College of Home Science, Nirmala Niketan, Mumbai, India and commissioned by Kellogg South Asia.

About The Breakfast Revolution:

Decimal Foundation is a registered non-profit trust that runs “The Breakfast Revolution” (TBR) which is a 5-year-old non-profit program working to fight malnutrition and morning hunger in India.

The founder of TBR, Dr. Pankaj Jethwani, has developed a holistic nutrition program for children, adolescent girls, pregnant women, and patients of T.B., HIV and certain cancers. The program includes pre and post health check-ups, nutrition and hygiene education, deworming, vitamin A prophylaxis, Vitamin - mineral supplements along with affordable & nutritious food for the beneficiaries.

Today, TBR has reached 85,000 beneficiaries, is working with 120+ organizations as implementation partners, and is dedicated to #EndMalnutrition in India.

About Sesame Workshop India:

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, reaches over 180 million children across more than 150 countries with research-based, tested and proven educational interventions designed to help kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder. We are active in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a range of media, formal education, and social impact programs, each tailored to the communities we serve. 

Sesame Workshop India was established in 2006 to meet the unique needs of vulnerable children in India. Sesame Workshop India’s programmes focus on low-resourced communities to bring children and their caregivers’ language and strategies that have proven impact on their health and wellbeing, social emotional skill development, literacy and numeracy. Programming channels include mass media, such as Galli Galli Sim Sim, the Indian production of Sesame Street, and community engagement activities. We are now expanding our ongoing early childhood development programs in underserved communities delivered in conjunction with critical programs such as education, WASH and girls’ education in India. Sesame Workshop India’s programs will teach young children and empower them to be agents of change in their homes, schools, and communities through an engaging curriculum of storytelling, games, songs, and films.