With the aim of supporting healthy nutrition and reducing school absenteeism of children in the communities near Fyffes melon-producing farms in Choluteca, Honduras, Fyffes and the Food Bank of Honduras have created a pilot program, “Nutrition with Melon Flavour” or “Nutrición con Sabor a Melón,” which has already benefited 138 families, according to a release.
The project involved delivering 13,151 nutritionally balanced lunches to the children of two schools in the municipality of Santa Ana de Yusguare, Choluteca, with a different menu for each day, including melons from Fyffes subsidiary Sol Group.
The lunches were prepared by parents and facilitators from the Food Bank of Honduras, who took part in 16 training sessions and eight workshops on nutrition and promoting healthy eating habits. So far, Fyffes has donated 1,200 melons to local families, said the company.
“Before the project ‘Nutrition with Melon Flavour,’ only 24% (41) of the children were obtaining sufficient calories, and the rate of malnutrition was 49% (90 children),” said Vanessa Caballero, Food Bank of Honduras executive director. “With the contribution of 600 daily calories provided through the program’s nutritious meals, as well as the education and advice provided to families, it has been possible for 78% (135) of the children to reach sufficient consumption of daily calories.
“At the same time, the rate of malnutrition decreased by 16%, rescuing 31 children from malnutrition in just four months. We feel honored to be able to change these lives through our work together with Sol Group and Fyffes,” she added.
María Estrada, director of the Ramón Villeda Morales school, says the students, Teacher’s Council and the community have welcomed the program.
“The children who were in a state of malnutrition have improved remarkably, also resulting in the improvement of their academic performance, especially those in first, second and third grade (six to nine years old), thus reducing absenteeism. We have high hopes for their results in the eight academic subjects,” she said.
Read more about Fyffes’ community programs on its Honduras farms.
In addition to the meals and donations, the program involved the evaluation, diagnosis, and monitoring of the children’s growth levels, as well as repairs and refurbishment of the school kitchens taking part in the program, Fyffes reports.
“Fyffes 2021 Community Needs Assessment told us that access to nutritious food was a challenge for the community, despite the fact that we are harvesting nutritious melons in the same vicinity,” said Michael Fletes, Sol Honduras sustainability coordinator and project leader. “Fyffes is delighted to partner with the Food Bank of Honduras, as it has successfully led this project at the operational level. We are pleased to be able to contribute to the wellbeing of these communities that experience serious deficits in food security and educational attainment.
“This pilot has helped inform our community investment strategy in the region as we expand our contribution to improving nutritional access in our neighboring communities,” he added.
Fyffes, which became part of the Sumitomo Corporation in 2017, is an importer of Fairtrade certified bananas, one of the largest banana and pineapple importers in Europe and the biggest melon importer in North America, according to the company. Since 2013, Sol is a subsidiary of Fyffes.
