PADIBERAS Nasional Bhd (Bernas) said 20,000 underprivileged students from selected 93 primary schools in Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu have received sponsored balanced lunches through the Healthy Food Programme (Promak) since January 2022 where almost four million meals have been enjoyed by them.

“One year since its implementation, the data from the National Physical Fitness Standard (Segak), for schools involved with Promak, has shown a positive impact on the pupils’ weight, height and school attendance,” it said in a statement.

“Apart from the aspects of the pupils’ health, education and social development, Promak also helps reduce household food expenses and increase disposable income, especially among low-income households,” it said.

Promak, a strategic collaboration between the corporate sector and government agencies, sees Bernas working closely with the Education Ministry and Health Ministry to move the national agenda in addressing the issue of malnutrition among primary school students.

On Tuesday, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek launched the programme, which was introduced last year, in addition to launching the Promak Riang Ria Nutri, which was held for the first time as a value-added initiative.

The one-day programme, held in Kedah, provided Bernas with the opportunity to entertain 500 students from 24 schools while giving them exposure to healthy eating.

Apart from offering a balanced diet, Bernas is also carrying out efforts to form a guidance platform to continue the initiative towards sustainable healthy living, and to expose children to the importance of food nutrition and good eating habits.

Bernas chairman Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said Promak aims to inculcate the culture of healthy eating from a young age.

“Access to balanced and nutritious food at school will shape the children’s physical, mental and psychological development, which in turn will help them be more prepared for their studies,” she said.

Rohani said as a corporate organisation prioritising food safety and social well-being, Bernas will continue to intensify its corporate social responsibility initiatives towards realising the community development agenda in general and producing an outstanding future generation.

She said Bernas, through Promak, also supports the government’s aspiration to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 agenda, under Goal 2.2 (ending all forms of malnutrition), is achieved.

“Malaysia needs many efforts to be implemented in order to achieve the SDG goal, so that the country’s sustainability can be achieved, considering the relatively slow progress in SDG2.

“Therefore, this agenda of change needs to be viewed seriously, with Bernas responding to this call by introducing the Promak programme, to ensure that the interests of all levels of society are taken care of, starting with children and school students,” she said. – Bernama, October 26, 2023.