Fourth Phase of the “Smiles & Health for Children” Program Supporting Kindergarten and Elementary School Meals in Vietnam to Begin in July 2026

First “Study Tour” Bringing Together Teachers and Parent Representatives from Supported Schools to Learn from One Another

 

Morinaga Milk launched its own school meal support program, “Smiles & Health for Children,” in May 2023 with the aim of contributing to the health and nutritional improvement of children in Vietnam, and has now completed the third phase of the initiative. Starting in July 2026, we will continue our partnership with the international NGO Plan International*1 to commence the fourth phase of the program. In the fourth phase, the support area will continue to be Lai Chau Province, and activities will target children, teachers, health and cooking staff, parents, and local community residents. In addition, we plan to hold our first “Study Tour,” in which teachers, staff, and parent representatives from the schools supported in the third phase will exchange experiences and insights with the teachers, staff, and parent representatives of the schools scheduled for support in the fourth phase, learning together from one another.

We will also continue to monitor and follow up at the seven kindergartens and one elementary school supported in the first, second, and third phases, tracking the children’s health and nutritional status, as well as the staff’s knowledge and skills in nutrition and hygiene. To date, this program has benefited more than 900 children, over 130 teachers and health and cooking staff, and more than 800 parents.

Report on the Third Phase Program (July 2025 – June 2026)

With the cooperation of Plan International, we completed the construction of children’s dining spaces and cooking facilities with improved sanitary conditions at one kindergarten and one elementary school in Lai Chau Province, and donated them to the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training. On May 19, a handover ceremony for the cooking facilities was held at the supported kindergarten and elementary school, attended by stakeholders of the support program, teachers and staff of the supported kindergarten and elementary school, parents, and children.

The ribbon-cutting at the handover ceremony	Children and Morinaga Milk Group employees

Key Support Components of the Third Phase (July 2025 – June 2026)

In the third phase, we also continued the support framework encompassing both structural and non-structural aspects, and expanded the target age group from kindergartners to elementary school children. At the same time, we provided non structural support extending beyond teachers to parents and children, including improving knowledge and skills related to nutrition and hygiene, and strengthening knowledge and skills for assessing children’s nutrition and health.

Targets: One kindergarten and one elementary school (cooking facilities were constructed at both; all received cooking utensils, water sanitation equipment, and supplies, along with educational activities related to nutrition and hygiene).

Total number of beneficiaries: More than 450 children, over 70 teachers and health and cooking staff, and more than 800 parents

A newly constructed cooking facility (left: interior; right: exterior)		Children eating lunch prepared in the newly constructed cooking facility

Overview of the Handover Ceremony for the Cooking Facilities

The handover ceremony for the cooking facilities, held on May 19, was attended by kindergartners and elementary school children, teachers, cooking staff, parents, community members, Plan International staff, and 11 representatives from Morinaga Milk Group. At the ceremony, Hiroko Yamakawa, Manager, Global Communication Group, International Planning and Management Department, International Division of Morinaga Milk, expressed gratitude for successfully reaching the handover stage of the project’s third phase, and shared the vision behind the project: “By providing a nutritious and hygienic dining environment and contributing to improved well-being in Vietnam, an important country for our business operations, we strongly believe that we can have a positive impact on children’s lives and open the way to a healthier future.” She also expressed appreciation for the dedicated daily efforts of the teachers and staff to improve the environment surrounding the children, as well as for the cooperation of Vietnam’s local communities, residents, and government officials. After the ceremony at the elementary school, a commemorative tree was planted on the school grounds, and attendees deepened their interaction with the children through activities such as long-rope jumping and playing with paper balloons before sharing lunch together in the completed dining space and cooking facility.

Mr. Lo Van Sau of the District People’s Committee, who was in attendance, offered both praise and gratitude and expressed his commitment to the program’s continuation, stating, “This project contributes greatly to improving the educational environment. Going forward, we intend to properly maintain and make use of these facilities and to preserve their value over the long term.”

Presentation of gifts to the children	Hiroko Yamakawa of Morinaga Milk speaking at the ceremony	Presentation of a Traditional Vietnamese conical hat (Nón Lá)
Commemorative tree planting at the elementary school	Interacting with the children through long-rope jumping and paper balloons

Launch of the Fourth Phase Program

The fourth phase of the program, starting in July 2026, will continue to utilize the support framework established through previous initiatives, encompassing both structural and non-structural aspects. On the non-structural side, the scope will be further broadened to include residents of the local community, and we will advance efforts to improve knowledge and skills related to nutrition and hygiene, and to strengthen knowledge and skills for assessing children’s nutrition and health. In addition, we plan to hold our first “Study Tour,” in which teachers, staff, and parent representatives from the schools supported in the third phase will exchange experiences and insights with the teachers, staff, and parent representatives of the schools scheduled for support in the fourth phase, learning together from one another.

Monitoring and follow-up at the kindergartens supported in the third phase will also continue.

Key Support Components of the Fourth Phase (July 2026 – June 2027)

Project location: Lai Chau Province, Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Targets: Two kindergartens

Number of beneficiaries: Approximately 140 kindergartners, about 50 teachers and staff, around 140 parents, and approximately 400 local community residents

Project overview:

1. Construction of cooking facilities
2. Provision of equipment and utensils for the cooking facilities
3. Training for teachers and staff on nutrition, food hygiene, and children’s health and development
4. Awareness-raising activities on nutrition, food hygiene, and children’s health and development for kindergartners, parents, and teachers (at the kindergartens and neighboring elementary schools)
5. A “Study Tour” in which teachers, staff, and parent representatives from the third-phase schools and those from the fourth-phase schools exchange experiences and insights, and learn together from one another

The current cooking facilities at the kindergarten

Background of the Support

Lai Chau Province, the location for the third and fourth phases of the “Smiles & Health for Children” program, is a mountainous area near the Chinese border, approximately an 8-hour drive from the capital, Hanoi. It has a high poverty rate of 24%,*2 and a significant proportion of children are reported to suffer from malnutrition. There are also challenges related to the sanitary conditions of cooking facilities and knowledge about nutrition at local elementary schools and kindergartens. There is therefore a need to improve children’s health and nutritional status through both structural and non-structural measures, upgrading cooking facilities and raising awareness of nutrition.

In its 10-year vision, Morinaga Milk Group aims to achieve a “global business sales ratio of at least 15%” by the fiscal year ending March 2029. Vietnam is one of the key countries where we have established production and sales bases and are focusing on our overseas business. Furthermore, to realize the goal set out under “Food and Well-being”—one of the themes of our Sustainability Medium- to Long-term Plan 2030—to “contribute to improving the well-being of all generations through products and services that make use of ingredients unique to Morinaga Milk Group,” we aim to contribute to health, nutrition, and happy lives.

Since May 2023, through the Tuan Giao Area Development Program in Tuan Giao District, Vietnam, we have been running the “Smiles & Health for Children” school meal support program to improve children’s health and nutritional status. We have continued to work on establishing the infrastructure for school meal provision in Vietnamese kindergartens and on enhancing the knowledge and skills of teachers and healthcare staff regarding nutrition and hygiene.

Since July 2025, with the cooperation of Plan International, we have leveraged the knowledge gained to date and expanded the support area from Dien Bien Province to Lai Chau Province and the target age range from kindergarten to elementary school. Going forward, we will continue contributing to Vietnam, one of the countries where we have significant business operations.

*1 Plan International is an internationally recognized NGO, officially registered with the United Nations, operating in over 80 countries worldwide. It is dedicated to addressing the inequalities affecting children, especially girls, around the world. Plan International Japan, the organization’s Japanese office (a public interest incorporated foundation), was established in 1983. *2 Source: Lai Chau Province FY2023 Household Survey

 

Morinaga Milk Group’s Engagement with Vietnam ➢ Since 2010, Morinaga Milk Group has exported formula milk to Vietnam through its local agent, Le May Production, Trading and Service Company Limited (Le May Co.). ➢ In June 2021, to strengthen sales in the Vietnamese market, Morinaga Milk Group acquired Elovi Vietnam Joint Stock Company (Elovi Co.) as a wholly owned subsidiary, and in November 2022, commenced local production and sales of Morinaga Milk-branded products. ➢ In 2023, Morinaga Milk established a joint venture with Le May Co. and concluded a share transfer/acquisition agreement and a shareholders’ agreement to make Morinaga Le May Vietnam Joint Stock Company a subsidiary. ➢ In March 2024, to further foster a sense of unity within the group, the name of Elovi Co. was changed to Morinaga Nutritional Foods Vietnam Joint Stock Company.