Hershey India launches Sofit Plus. A plant protein-fortified drink, it is designed to meet the nutritional needs of underprivileged kids in India.
Hershey India Pvt. Ltd. has developed a plant protein-fortified drink named Sofit Plus, under its social initiative ‘Nourishing Minds’. Investment in good nutrition results in good health. And this investment must begin from an early age. However, in India malnourishment and deficiency is a huge problem. Thus, Hershey India developed the nutrition drink in collaboration with Sion Hospital, the NGO Annamrita and IIT-Bombay for providing good nutrition to the underprivileged kids.
Herjit Bhalla, Vice President India and AEMEA at The Hershey Company said, “The Hershey Company globally has a legacy of driving positive change through initiatives that benefit society. Keeping up with the tradition, we have developed Sofit Plus, a soy plant protein fortified drink, designed to help meet the nutritional needs of underprivileged kids in India, this product is backed by rigorous research and development, to help address the low nutrition levels amongst the designated group of children and help contribute towards building a healthier future for them.”
IIT Bombay carried out an elaborate research on a group of underprivileged children belonging to the suburban slums in Mumbai. These kids were aged between 6-18 years. The research revealed shocking results such as:
- 30% of these kids were below normal BMI. Of these 18% fell into the thin category, 11% into the severely thin and 0.9% were in the underweight category
- The kids suffered from major carbohydrates, fats and proteins intake deficiency
- Their diet also lacked calcium, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Zinc and iron
These findings led to Hershey India developing the SofitPlus for the under-nourished kids,and studies found this to be beneficial according to a media release from the company.
