Nestlé kicks off 150th anniversary celebrations with Wellness Pledge in 150 towns

Monday, 26 September 2016 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In celebration of its 150th anniversary worldwide and 110 years of operations in Sri Lanka, Nestlé has rolled out a Wellness Campaign in 150 towns across the island, to encourage people to live an active lifestyle.

Thousands of consumers and key stakeholders, including President Maithripala Sirisena, participated in the high profile campaign and pledged to live an active lifestyle by signing a Wellness Pledge.

The majority of the pledges took place at key Nestlé sponsored sport and family events across the country, to reinforce the positive messages of team spirit and physical activity.

This is the first of a number of social initiatives the company has planned to commemorate its global and local anniversary this year.

“As a leading Nutrition, Health and Wellness company, we are committed to help build a healthier generation. We understand that a healthy diet, with good food and beverages, must be supplemented with physical exercise for a complete healthy lifestyle. We launched this Wellness Pledge to supplement our other efforts to encourage the nation to be fitter and healthier,” said Nestlé Lanka Managing Director Shivani Hegde.

Nestlé is a strong advocate of an active lifestyle. The Nestlé Kids Athletics Programme, launched in 2015 with the Sports division of the Ministry of Education, conducts physical fitness events across the country for children between 8 and 12 years to encourage them to spend more time outdoors and be more physically active.

Nestlé has also been committed to developing school sports in the country for well over 20 years. It has been an energetic partner in the school sports arena, supporting different sporting events such as swimming, netball, athletics and rugby, and also sponsoring a number of marathons every year.

The company also conducts a series of educational programmes to raise awareness of nutrition and the importance of an active lifestyle. These include the Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme, which is conducted by Ministry Educationists in schools across the country to teach children about nutrition and health, and Nestlé Nutri-Corners, pop-up centres affiliated with private hospitals, which provide free one-on-one nutrition counselling and health screening to the public via qualified dieticians and nutritionists.