The Partnership for Health- Partnerstwo dla Zdrowia

The Partnership for Health (Partnerstwo dla Zdrowia) is a coalition formed to fight child malnutrition in Poland and educate society about healthy nutrition.

A number of polls commissioned by Danone Poland and the Federation of Polish Food Banks in 2003 have shown that as many as 30% of children in Poland are malnourished* and over 66% of children that attend elementary school do not eat nutritious meals on a daily basis**. Such alarming results were the reason for the GMs of the largest companies in Poland- Danone Poland, Biedronka (a chain of supermarkets that belongs to Jeronimo Martins Group) and Lubella (part of Maspex Wadowice Group) along with the leading scientific and medical institute, the Institute of Mother and Child- for forming the coalition Partnership for Health (Partnerstwo dla Zdrowia). Their mission is to fight child malnutrition in Poland and to educate the society about the need for a well-balanced diet.

The Partners’ overall goal is to solve a specific problem in the society using an innovative business model, which is based on the coalition between the private and public sectors. Each of the parties involved contributes to the Partnership by offering its resources, knowledge and experience and cooperates towards creating affordable products with a minimal margin. In turn, the profit that is made is reinvested in education and into developing the project. The Partnership’s efforts resulted in the successful introduction of the product Milky Start onto the Polish market- a healthy porridge accessible to children of each social group and financial status that enables them to eat a healthy, nutritious meal every morning. The meal is fortified with vitamins and minerals crucial for the proper development of young individuals.

* IS UNK PRYZMAT survey. Toruń, 2003
** MillwardBrown SMG/KRC commissioned by Danone Poland and Federation of Polish Food Banks, 2006