Japanese milk products and sweets company Morinaga Milk Industry
Co. has been exporting and selling
infant formula through distributors in Vietnam since 2010. By making a local
company a Morinaga Milk subsidiary in 2021, the company established a local
manufacturing and retail framework for Morinaga brand products for its business
development in Vietnam. Now, the company is looking to both build its business
presence in Vietnam and cooperate with government authorities and NGOs to make a
meaningful contribution to various communities as a local player. The Smiles &
Health for
Children
kindergarten lunch project is just one concrete example of that corporate
commitment in action.
Founded in Japan in 1917, Morinaga has a long history developing dairy
products, infant formula and a wide range of items using unique functional
bifidobacteria
ingredients. The company started pursuing international business opportunities
in the 1970s; today, global business accounts for approximately 40 percent of
total profits and Morinaga is determined to develop into a responsible global
company. As part of that drive, Morinaga Milk marked its 100th anniversary in
2017 with the announcement of a new corporate slogan: “For Ever Brighter
Smiles.”
Multifaceted approach to nutrition and health in Vietnamese society
Morinaga Milk believes the Vietnamese market harbors great potential, and recent
events have broadened consumer interest.
“The Vietnamese economy is growing — the average age of the population is as
young as the low 30s, and employment rates among women are high,” explains
Takashi Chihaya, General Manager of the International Division’s
International Planning Management Department. “Furthermore, the COVID-19
pandemic has sparked health consciousness and boosted support for our zero-fat,
low-sugar yogurt and functional lactic acid bacteria products.”
Chihaya also believes that offering nutritious products and engaging in national
and regional development activities in tandem is the best way to steadily expand
business and be embraced by local citizens. The Smiles & Health for Children
kindergarten lunch project was launched in May 2023, together with international
NGO World Vision Japan and
Vietnam’s Ministry of Health and
Ministry of Education and
Training, to
improve child health and nutrition in the Tuan Giao District of Dien Bien
Province in the mountains nearly 600 km northwest of Hanoi.
Addressing infrastructure and training issues hindering healthy kindergarten lunches
Image credit: SUSCOM
The Morinaga Milk Group started pursuing its Sustainability Medium- to
Long-term Plan
2030 in April
2022. The plan stipulates the Group’s Food and Wellness goal to contribute to
the health of 300 million people by delivering high-quality value unique to
Morinaga Milk Group. The kindergarten lunch project epitomizes its efforts to
achieve the goal.
“The Smiles & Health for Children kindergarten lunch project is based on our For
Ever Brighter Smiles corporate slogan, and reflects our desire to make
Vietnamese children smile,” explains Chifumi Saito of the Planning Section
in the International Planning Management Department. “The data suggest that many
children in the area do not receive adequate nutrition at home, so the
kindergarten lunches are their main nutrition source. We felt we could offer
comprehensive child health and nutrition support to address the challenges of
unsanitary cooking environments and low level of staff nutrition-related
knowledge.”
The first stage of the program ran from May 2023 to April 2024 with the aim of
improving kindergarten cooking and eating facilities, expanding nutrition and
hygiene knowledge and skills, and teaching kindergarten staff and nurses how to
measure and monitor child nutrition and health. The construction of school lunch
preparation facilities in two kindergartens was completed in April 2024, and the
buildings were donated to the Ministry of Education and Training Tuan Giao
District office.
“There was no running water and people had to build a fire to cook,” Saito said.
“We were so glad we followed through on the program when we saw the new hygienic
cooking facilities equipped with water tanks and gas stoves and the smiling
children eating lunch with tables, chairs and cutlery in a hygienic
environment.”
The second phase of the program started in June 2024. Three additional district
schools were added to the program, and coordinators have continued to monitor
child health and nutrition and follow up the acquisition of nutrition- and
hygiene-related expertise in the first-phase kindergartens.
“We heard that some staff are using the handbooks we gave them to conduct their
own local community workshops,” Saito added. “We cannot solve the region’s
nutrition issues at once, but it is important to keep doing what we can to help
solve larger issues in the long run.”
Diverse internal and external engagement facilitates broader impacts
Morinaga Milk also created the Dairy Café pavilion at children’s amusement
center KidZania Hanoi that enables children to
experience different jobs and social situations. The children get to be “yogurt
experts” who use Morinaga yogurt made and sold in Vietnam to develop their own
healthy and delicious menus.
The International Division is creating posters illustrating these activities in
Vietnam for distributing to Japanese and overseas bases.
“Employees in Japan may not come across Morinaga Milk’s global business
expansion in their daily activities,” Saito said. “I want more employees to see
how we can make more children smile through our global health and nutrition
initiatives and to inspire greater internal cooperation.”
For Takashi Chihaya, the ultimate aim remains the same: “The best way forward is
for Morinaga Milk to blur the lines between business activities and social
contribution by focusing on putting the Vietnam business on a strong track and
amassing experience in various social engagement activities.”
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SUSCOM
Published Nov 1, 2024 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 12pm GMT / 1pm CET