Feeding Kids Through Breakfast Programs
Around the world, 820 million people[1] face a future of food insecurity. At our current population, this means more than one in ten people don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Think about that the next time you’re walking down a crowded street, on the train or at your child’s school. Ten percent of the people you see could be struggling with hunger.
[1] 2018 The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations
For children, hunger is especially devastating. According to Feeding America, “Hunger can have serious implications for children’s physical and mental health, academic achievement and future economic prosperity. Research shows an association between food insecurity and delayed development in young children; risk of chronic illnesses like asthma and anemia; and behavioral problems like hyperactivity, anxiety and aggression in school-age children.”
As a global plant-based food company, Kellogg is doing our part to feed people around the world. In the last 10 years alone, we’ve provided 3 billion servings of food to those struggling with hunger and malnutrition. By the end of 2030, we’re focused on feeding 375 million people through our Kellogg’s® Better Days global commitment to creating Better Days for 3 billion people. We’re doing so through food donations and by expanding feeding programs to help children reach their full potential.
This is the premise behind our long-standing commitment to breakfast clubs. In many places in the world, these before-school programs provide students with a healthy breakfast, time to play with friends and, often, extra academic support so they arrive at school ready to learn. In 2019, we donated about 10 pence (about USD$0.15) from the sale of every box of W.K. Kellogg® cereal and granola to 600 breakfast clubs across Europe. In 2019, Kellogg supported breakfast clubs in 21 countries.
Some of these breakfast clubs are in Germany, where Kellogg and senior citizens have teamed up to provide children with a wholesome breakfast at school. Across the country, more than 1,300 senior citizen members of brotZeit e.V. prepare and distribute breakfast to children. It’s an atypical partnership that is making a big difference in the lives of German children. According to a recent study of about 700 teachers in Germany, more than 80% said that children arrive at school without having had breakfast several times a week. According to 98% of these teachers, not eating breakfast has a negative impact on the children’s school performance. At schools partnering with brotZeit e.V., 84% of teachers emphasize the positive effect the breakfast has on children’s academic results. That’s why Kellogg is partnering with brotZeit e.V. to expand the organization’s efforts nationally to reach approximately 1,500 schools in Germany by 2021.
Kellogg Company’s first breakfast clubs began in Europe in 1998. Today, the children who attended these initial clubs are young adults. In Spain, Kellogg is continuing to encourage these early breakfast club participants to succeed by awarding five W. K. Kellogg scholarships to support their efforts to complete high school, professional training or university.
Our breakfast clubs extend far beyond Europe. In 2019, Kellogg provided breakfast every school day to more than 30,000 students in 49 schools in four South African provinces.
In the U.S., where breakfast is often provided in schools, Kellogg works closely with a variety of partners to increase students’ access to these programs as well. In 2019, our Kellogg’s® brand again donated $1 million to No Kid Hungry to expand school breakfast programs. Over the past 4 years, Kellogg and No Kid Hungry’s partnership has supported nearly 1 million kids gaining access to 154 million breakfasts annually.
“It’s hard to imagine that more than half of the kids who quality for free or reduced-price school breakfasts aren’t receiving them because schools are missing simple equipment like coolers for milk and carts for delivering food,” said Doug VandeVelde, general manager, Kellogg U.S. ready-to-eat cereal. “Our gift to No Kid Hungry allows many schools afford these small purchases that make breakfast part of the regular school day. When they do, students can focus on math and making friends, rather than a rumbling stomach.”
School foodservice directors care as much about making sure kids are well nourished as we do. That’s why our Away From Home business also sponsored the Kellogg’s® Elevate the Plate Challenge with No Kid Hungry. Ten winning school foodservice directors received $5,000 grants to fund efforts to increase school meal participation.
“We know children can be picky eaters, and we also know there is no nutritional value in uneaten food,” said Wendy Davidson, president, Kellogg Away From Home. “We’re excited to learn from school foodservice directors who are creating breakfasts and lunches that bring students to the table.”
Ensuring access to breakfast is one aspect of how we’re feeding people. Click here to learn about our collaboration with food banks on six continents and here for more information about our support of summer feeding programs in North America that play an important role relieving hunger when children are not in school and don’t have access to free- and reduced-price meal programs.
