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Mega Sardines and the Nutrition Center of the Philippines push for healthier diets for the Filipino youth

As students, many of us were taught the importance of a balanced diet to help us grow up strong and healthy. However, in reality, our country is currently seeing a rise in chronic malnutrition especially in the youth, partly due to the decrease in the quality of food consumed. That is why Mega Global, the leading manufacturer, and distributor of canned goods in the Philippines, through its flagship brand, Mega Sardines, launched ‘Mega Sustansya Everyday’ in partnership with the Nutrition Center of the Philippines.

Mega Global is dedicated to improving the lives of Filipino families and communities by offering high-quality, value-for-money products such as their tuna, canned fruits and vegetables, and the Number 1 brand of sardines in the Philippines, Mega Sardines. Sardines are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, vitamin B12, protein and calcium to help children grow and to protect their heart. Mega Sardines, sets itself apart by utilizing a meticulous 12-hour catching-to-canning process that ensures the freshness of the fish from the time that they are caught to the time that they are canned.

It is through ‘Mega Sustansya Everyday’ Program that Mega Sardines can give back to Filipino families and help pave the way to create sustainable change in their diets for a healthier and happier community. The campaign aims to teach Filipino families the importance of health and nutrition through a 40-day feeding program for kids aged 3 to 6. In order to give back to the community where Mega Sardines is situated in, the company held a seminar and Oplan Sukat on September 27, 2019 for the parents and kids of Barangay South Triangle in Quezon City to introduce the program. The program provides 2 full meals a day from Mega Sardines, with 1 meal using sardines. In order to guarantee that the kids are getting the right nutrition they need based on their daily dietary needs, each meal is well-curated by nutritionists from NCP.

Through a mid-measurement program, Mega Sardines, NCP, and the partner LGU are able to effectively measure the improvements of the children throughout the first 20 days. Significant growth was seen in each participant in terms of weight gain and eating habits as shared by their parents.

To officially conclude the Mega Sustansya Everyday program, a graduation ceremony and exclusive tour was held at Lakbay Museo together with the participating children of Brgy. South Triangle and their parents. Lakbay Museo, is an interactive museum that highlights Filipino Heritage and Culture and features a special Mega Sardines area that highlights the Filipinos love for sardines. The special area was officially launched last November 24 through an exclusive ribbon cutting with Mega Global’s brand ambassador Piolo Pascual and Mega Global President and CEO, Mr. William Tiu Lim. Aside from the tour, Mega Global awarded participants who showed significant weight gain throughout the program and were awarded as Mega Sustansya’s Best Gainers.

In a report from the Nutrition Center of the Philippines, 70% (28 of 40 children) of the participants had seen an improvement in their weight after the 40-day program. On average, the 28 children gained 3% of their initial weight through the consistent meals provided by Mega Sardines and NCP that provided the complete nutrients kids need on a daily basis.

Aside from an improvement in the height and weight of the participants, one significant change that was seen throughout the whole program was their eating habits. With the 40-day program showing positive results, there is still room for improvement and for expanding the feeding program to make it more effective in improving the nutritional status of children who are underweight.

Mega Global hopes that through the Mega Sustansya Everyday program, the families were able to see the benefits of choosing nutritious and healthy food such as sardines. This campaign also educated mothers who have the decision-making power in the home that sardines are a very good source of nutrition, which is both affordable and easily accessible.