Drive to promote nutritional literacy in Delhi, Chennai schools launched

With the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) revealing that every second adolescent in India suffers from poor nutrition, a new school-based initiative is attempting to tackle the crisis at its root. Launched on Tuesday during National Nutrition Week (September 1 to 7), the ‘Power of 5 Goes to School’ programme aims to put nutritional literacy on classroom timetables in Delhi and Chennai.

The campaign, rolled out by Amway in partnership with the Nourishing Schools Foundation, will be implemented in 12 government and NGO-run schools, directly benefitting over 12,000 people, including 3,000 children, in its first year.

The centrepiece of the programme is a nutrition education toolkit packed with games, visual aids, and interactive activities designed to make healthy eating fun and memorable for children.

Archana Sinha, co-founder of the Nourishing Schools Foundation, said the approach goes beyond simple awareness drives. “Amway’s Po5 school nutrition education programme has been carefully designed to empower children with nutritional literacy by using a specially designed nutrition toolkit, featuring games, educational materials, and visual aids that makes learning about nutrition interactive, engaging, and fun. We believe this intervention will create ripple effects in empowering schoolchildren and mobilising policies to address critical challenges. Amway’s commitment to building sustainable communities in partnership with schools and parents through this initiative will ensure long-term impact on India’s nutrition and wellbeing landscape.”

The program builds on Amway India’s existing work in communities. Its CSR efforts in nutrition, health, livelihood, and education have reached more than 2.7 million people, including over 7,00,000 children. Livelihood schemes have trained 47,000 women, while telemedicine and mobile health clinics deliver free treatment to more than 35,000 patients annually.

Calling adolescence a “decisive stage to shape lifelong habits”, Rajneesh Chopra, managing director of Amway India, said school interventions could have a generational impact.

“School-age is a decisive stage to shape lifelong habits, and nutrition is at the heart of that journey. According to the CNNS, every second adolescent faces poor nutrition, with widespread deficiencies in iron, vitamin A, and zinc. By investing in early, preventive action, we are not just teaching children about healthy diets; we are empowering them to become agents of change in their communities. The partnership with the Nourishing Schools Foundation is an extension of our commitment to transform five million lives in India through an inclusive, community-driven approach. It reflects our broader social impact philosophy,” he said.