- Through its brand Knorr, Unilever Philippines has joined hands with the Department of Education to promote nationwide nutrition learning via the Makulay ang Buhay program.
- The initiative includes GMA-produced episodes and Knorr NutriSarap recipe booklets, combining fun learning with science-based nutrition guidance for students and parents.
- With 40,000 USBs and 60,000 recipe booklets distributed to DepEd schools, the program aims to expand nutrition education access and build a healthier, better-fed Philippines.
Working together in a common goal of advocating for balanced lives, Unilever Philippines, through its brand Knorr, teamed up with the Department of Education (DepEd) to enhance nutrition learning more widely among DepEd school students and families across the country. Unilever Philippines Foods Marketing Head Marinelle Villanueva speaks of it as, 'Education is a powerful tool'.
When individuals are equipped with the proper information, despite having limited resources, they can make more informed decisions for themselves and their loved ones. This is what the Makulay ang Buhay program is based on, which seeks to revolutionize the way we educate children and adults alike about nutrition making it interactive, easy to access, and applicable to children and parents nationwide.
The alliance, sealed in a Memorandum of Agreement inked in October 2024, shares science-based learning materials GMA Network-produced Makulay ang Buhay EduTainment series and the Knorr NutriSarap Recipe Booklet, created in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DoST-FNRI). These resources were cleverly crafted in order to make not just the meals in it nutritious, but also how they relate to the daily dilemmas of Filipino households when it comes to healthy eating.
The launch was conducted in July, at Taguig Integrated School, when more than 300 students, parents, and teachers gathered to experience a fun-filled day of interactive nutrition education games, a viewing of the Makulay ang Buhay episodes, and a live performance by the cast of the 2000s Makulay ang Buhay series Sab San Diego and Sharlene San Pedro. The school was chosen as the pilot school due to its strong advocacy for nutrition and active parent participation, making it an apt model for the program's vision to provide quality nutrition education to schools in the Philippines.
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Asec. Jocelyn DR Andaya, Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Operations reminds us of the shared mission of the program during the launch stating, "We are reminded of the power of proper nutrition in shaping not only strong bodies but also brighter, better futures. Let us make our call to action to continue building bridges, and to intensify our collective commitment to advancing proper nutrition for learners and communities alike".
The core of this initiative is the dissemination of 40,000 USBs with the Makulay ang Buhay episodes. City Mayor of Taguig Mayor Lani Cayeto states, "We know that today's children require new and exciting methods to make them interested in healthy eating". And as parents and educators, we too have our part to do both in school and at home. You can imagine yourself someday being the CEO of a large corporation, but those aspirations can be thwarted by the cruel starkness of malnutrition and stunting. That's why Makulay ang Buhay, a 13-episode EduTainment series by GMA and Unilever, is a critical milestone. It provides hands-on instructions on how to cook meals that are healthy, tasty, and value-for-money.
Assisting this series are 60,000 nutrition-based recipe booklets with the Knorr Nutrisarap Recipes, which are all being distributed to DepEd schools across the country. As of today, Knorr's NutriSarap initiative has reached over 12.5 million Filipinos. By partnering with DepEd, Unilever hopes to reach even more Filipinos and deepen the inclusion of nutrition education in the Philippine school system.
The Makulay ang Buhay program reinforces Unilever's passion for nutrition education, yet also reaffirms a common vision with DepEd: to create a healthier, more educated, and better-fed Philippines.
