Editorial: A Health Start

Since 1992 Breakfast for Learning has helped launch and sustain more than 3,100 nutrition programs. The organization has also been key in bringing nutritional education to children and parents. Yet it also needs partners who can help sustain its programs – in 2008 just 27 per cent of requests for child nutrition programs were granted due to budget restraints – while helping to teach Canadian families to start their day in a more nutritious way.

To that end, the group has teamed with Toronto-based Ferrero Canada, maker of Nutella hazelnut spread – the breakfast staple is celebrating its 40th anniversary in Canada this year – to launch The Better Breakfast Challenge. The online (www.nutellabreakfastchallenge.com) educational and fund-raising campaign features nutritional information, recipes and tips for encouraging picky eaters. Each participant who signs on agrees that they and their children will eat a healthy breakfast for 21 days in a row, and for every participant Nutella will donate $1 to the Breakfast for Learning program, up to $40,000. Participants who complete the challenge are also entered into a draw for a breakfast party at their home.

It’s a win-win initiative for all partners involved, especially for consumers themselves. It’s also something I’m hoping we’ll see more of from the food industry.