PepsiCo Foundation & PepsiCo R&D launch ‘Bowl of Growth’ program

The PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo, PepsiCo R&D team and brand Quaker launched ‘Bowl of Growth’ a special nutrition focused program in partnership with NGO MAMTA HIMC in Pune, Maharashtra to provide 1,000 children aged 3 to 5 years with wholesome nourishment each day. The interventions under the Bowl of Growth program are designed with focus on three key pillars - Nutrition, Awareness, and Education.

In India, about 1.5 million children under the age of 5 suffer from moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) as a result of inadequate dietary intake and infectious disease. To combat this issue and mark the International Year of Millets, ‘Bowl of Growth’ curated a locally acceptable recipe of ‘Panjiri’, from a millet and multigrain-based Quaker product, containing 18 additional micro-nutrients designed by PepsiCo R&D team specifically to the local needs of children from the region.

The program was launched by Shri Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Minister of Tourism, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Women and Child Development, Government of Maharashtra at a special event in Pune. The program was also attended by Smt. Rubal Agarwal, Commissioner, ICDS, Government of Maharashtra, Shri Ayush Prasad, IAS, Chief Executive Officer, Pune, Zillha Parishad, Dr. Pietro Antonio Tataranni, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President, R&D Life Sciences, PepsiCo, Anshul Khanna, Senior Director & Category Head – Foods, PepsiCo India, Mijanur Rahman, R&D Region Senior Director, PepsiCo India, Kareem Mohamed, International Programs Lead, PepsiCo Foundation, and virtually by Vikas Khanna, celebrity chef & Quaker India brand ambassador.

Shri Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Minister of Tourism, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Women and Child Development, Government of Maharashtra, said, “As we celebrate the International Year of Millets in 2023, the ‘Bowl of Growth’ program by PepsiCo Foundation and MAMTA, will help us take forward our Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of positioning India as the ‘Global Hub of Millets’. Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Eknath Shinde and the Government of Maharashtra welcome this initiative and offer full cooperation to PepsiCo for this program. Such collaborations between the private sector, government, and civil society organizations are the perfect example of how we can create a positive health impact among the underserved communities of the state, by working together and focusing on a common goal.”