Kerry has a proud record of community engagement and support. Since its foundation, we have contributed significant time and resources to initiatives and charitable causes in the regions where we operate and the philosophy of positive engagement with local communities continues to be a core value of the organisation.
As the world’s leading Taste and Nutrition company, we understand the primary importance of nutrition across all life stages and need states. Our market and consumer research give us an insight into the different requirements across cultures and geographies and we recognise the challenges presented by hunger and poor nutrition.
One of the aims of our Nourishing Communities social and community programme is to help improve the health and nutrition of people around the world as part of Kerry’s broader commitments on Sustainable Nutrition.
MyCommunity
In 2020, global communities were severely tested by the COVID-19 pandemic and this mobilised actions by our employees to support both individuals and community groups in need. In support of these efforts, Kerry launched a global MyCommunity programme, mobilising our resources and expertise while facilitating employees to volunteer with locally-led community initiatives which directly supported food, nutrition and health needs.
The response from our colleagues has been inspirational and around the world, Kerry employees have volunteered their time and talents to support and nourish their communities. Together we have supported, participated and contributed to over 110 initiatives, from local food relief, to deliveries of food to vulnerable groups, providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for frontline workers and producing hand sanitiser. To date almost three quarters of the €1 million pledged to the programme has been deployed in support of local communities.
Kerry and United Nations World Food Programme launch Project Amata in Burundi
Project Amata is a new 3-year project in partnership with World Food Programme (WFP), which will enhance the production and availability of safe, sustainable milk for children and communities in Gitega, Burundi.
Project Amata builds on a previous Kerry-WFP partnership initiative: Project Leche in Honduras, during which we worked with local famers to establish a safe supply of dairy produce for Honduran school children.
The goal of Project Amata is to improve food security and nutrition by strengthening the milk value chain, engaging schools and local communities, and making safe and sustainable milk more accessible to them. “Amata” is the word for milk in Kirundi, the national language of Burundi.
Working closely with farmers, milk collection centers and others, the project will provide much-needed equipment and training on the key areas of livestock management and milk production.
Project Amata is an example of how Kerry can work with WFP and local agencies in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (specifically Goal 2, Zero Hunger).
Over the course of the three-year Project Amata programme, Kerry will provide leading expertise from its Primary Dairy & Agribusiness and Applied Health & Nutrition teams to build additional capacity in Burundi – as well as making a direct financial contribution to WFP of $750,000.
Photography: ©WFP / Irenee Nduwayezu
Project Leche
Project Leche was a pioneering three-year partnership between Kerry and the United Nations World Food Programme set up in 2016, to ensure that more sustainable dairy products were included in WFP’s school meals programme for children, in the Dry Corridor region of Honduras.
Kerry provided extensive nutritional, agricultural, quality and processing expertise together with a direct financial contribution of $750,000. The programme has made a real difference to the children and the Project Leche farmers and their community.
Over the 3-year programme, some key achievements to date included:
- 7,600 children in 178 schools benefitted from nutritionally enhanced meals
- Over 200 teachers from 170 schools can now educate their students on nutrition
- Milk production levels doubled on project farms over the 3-year programme
- Higher inclusion rates of protein and calcium in meals helped to drive an overall improvement in physical growth and a reduction in stunting of 18.5%, over the life of the project.*
- The programme also contributed to a reduction in wasting among schoolchildren from 8.1% to 1.5%, with zero presenting severe wasting by end of project.*
* Source: UN WFP Project Leche Final Report 2020 | Photography: ©WFP / Boone Rodriguez
RAIN (Realigning Agriculture to Improve Nutrition)
Since 2011, Kerry Group has supported Concern Worldwide in its award-winning work through the RAIN Programme, a multi-disciplinary approach to tackling hunger and malnutrition in Niger with a core objective of increasing food production and encouraging a more diverse, nutrient rich diet.
The programme also works to promote key health practices for improved maternal and child nutrition, improve access to reliable and safe water sources and reduce inequalities experienced by the extreme poor and vulnerable, particularly women and girls.
By addressing these broader factors contributing to hunger and malnutrition, the objective of the RAIN Programme is to make a positive, long-term impact on some of the poorest communities in Niger.