Better nutrition for children

Bayer is committed to the sustainable development goal of Zero Hunger. Through our Corporate Societal Engagement (CSE) initiatives, we are supporting the Government of India in the mid-day meal program. This initiative aims to feed school children with nutritious meals, so that they can concentrate better while studying, leading to an increase in school enrolment and attendance.

Mid-day meals

Spread across an acre of land, the ‘Padma Bhushan Dr. Badrinarayan Barwale Centralized Kitchen’ has a capacity to serve healthy and hygienic mid-day meals to over 50,000 children and adheres to food safety standards and ISO compliances. The kitchen is automated with a mechanical conveyor, automated hopper, cooking cauldrons, idly unit, vegetable cutting equipment thereby ensuring hygiene and safety during the entire cooking process. The kitchen also houses a food testing lab to ensure safe raw material usage and nutritious food to the children.

This mechanized centralized kitchen financially aided by Bayer was inaugurated by His Excellency, Governor of Maharashtra, Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari in February 2020 at Jalna, Maharashtra.

As a part of the ‘School Nutrition Project’, the ‘Padma Bhushan Dr. Badrinarayan Barwale Centralized Kitchen’ serves healthy and balanced meals to children who have limited or no access to food and lack awareness on the importance of the same in their daily diet.

The ‘School Nutrition Project’ is a two-pronged effort that addresses on one hand the challenges of malnutrition and classroom hunger, while on the other hand, helps educate underprivileged children thereby reducing dropouts, illiteracy and poverty.

Over 10,000 school children have been supported by Bayer with a mid-day meal, on every working day in 2019 - 2020.