Dutch Lady Vietnam and NIN start comprehensive nutrition studies

The study is one of the largest and most comprehensive to be undertaken in the region in recent years, and will include many categories for evaluation covering a nation-wide survey sample of nearly 3,000 respondents across the country.

It is part of a larger, Southeast Asia nutrition initiative spearheaded by Royal FrieslandCampina, Dutch Lady Vietnam’s parent company. In addition to Vietnam, similar studies are being conducted in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

The comprehensive and robust scientific study will allow Dutch Lady Vietnam to identify imperatives in enhancing health and nutrition in the country. It will also allow the company to tailor the formulation of its products to meet the specific nutritional needs of children in this country, while also providing fascinating insights into the development of children in Vietnam compared to those of similar ages in other nations in the region.

The Dutch Lady study goes further than previous research initiatives in Vietnam in that it looks not only at dietary patterns but also at the impact and correlation between dietary patterns and physical and mental development of children. These insights translate directly into action that will empower consumers to take ownership of their daily nutrition and to make quality, healthy diets a way of life. 

Theo Queis, consumer marketing director for Dutch Lady Vietnam, said: “As Vietnam’s trusted provider of quality dairy nutrition, Dutch Lady Vietnam aspires to help people move forward in life with our dairy nutrition. We are committed to helping our consumers maintain and improve their nutritional well-being with the goodness of milk.

“We believe that the foundation to improving the nutritional well-being of the nation lies in establishing a solid understanding of the current status, issues and opportunities. In the absence of up-to-date, in-depth information on the state of nutrition in Vietnam, we chose to work with the National Institute of Nutrition to ensure that Dutch Lady Vietnam’s nation-wide nutrition study is scientifically rigorous. We believe that findings of the study, when available, will fill an important gap in nutritional awareness.”

All data gathered from the nutrition study will be processed and analysed by scientists from NIN. Royal FrieslandCampina’s team of research and development experts will also actively support and work closely with NIN to analyse findings of the study. Due to the comprehensive and robust nature of the study, it is anticipated that data collation through to analysis and reporting will span a 12-month period.

At the conclusion of this period, the results from the in-depth and scientifically rigorous study will be made available in 2012 and will shed light on the opportunities and gaps in improving health and nutrition of children in Vietnam.

Results from the study will also be used to enhance nutrition for Vietnam by informing the formulation of Dutch Lady Vietnam’s products so as to suit specific local needs. In addition, the local research reports will be made available to public health organisations to help inform national nutrition programmes. 

“We understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to nutrition. Each market has specific nutritional needs based on its own unique requirements, and this upcoming nutritional study will allow us to achieve an in-depth understanding so as to better serve the Vietnamese community,” added Queis.