Healthy eating habits are being taught early in 10 primary schools across Peninsular Malaysia, where canned food maker Ayam Brand has wrapped up a school programme combining nutrition lessons, cooking practice and gardening. A parallel food donation drive reached more than 700 beneficiaries at 20 orphanages and welfare homes nationwide.
Called #AyamBersamaMu: Bekal Sihat Masa Depan, loosely “healthy provisions for the future”, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative covered schools in 10 states. Rather than a one-off talk, each visit moved students from the classroom to the kitchen and then out to the school garden.
The programme was built around three strands: nutrition education, hands-on meal preparation and sustainability activities. The goal was to help students form healthy eating habits and make more informed food choices in daily life, while picking up a better understanding of environmental responsibility.
Building Healthy Eating Habits With “Suku-Suku Separuh”
Sessions opened with a nutrition health talk by Puan Shazwani binti Magini, a nutritionist from the Jabatan Kesihatan Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur & Putrajaya. She walked students through food groups, balanced meals and portion sizes using “Suku-Suku Separuh”, the plate model promoted by the Ministry of Health Malaysia.
The idea is easy for a primary school pupil to remember: half the plate for fruit and vegetables, a quarter for protein and a quarter for carbohydrates. Students also learnt about nutrients such as protein and Omega-3, found in Ayam Brand products, and how they support growth and overall wellbeing.
Early lessons matter. Doctors are now seeing type 2 diabetes in children as young as 14 in Malaysia, and what children learn about food at school can carry into their adult years.
From Classroom to Kitchen
The theory was then put to work in Kemahiran Hidup (living skills) classes. Students prepared simple meals with the brand’s products, including pulled chicken sandwiches, wraps and teriyaki pulled chicken rice bowls.
Assembling their own plates turned a classroom diagram into something they could see and taste, from picking a protein to balancing it with vegetables.
Turning Empty Cans Into School Gardens
The sustainability segment, Kebun Ayam Brand, took students outdoors. Working with their school’s Kelab Kelestarian (sustainability club) or Kelab Alam Sekitar (environment club), they repurposed used cans and other recyclable materials into creative additions to their school gardens.
The work fed into the Kebun Ayam Brand contest, which introduced students to upcycling and waste reduction while building creativity and teamwork.
Why Start in Schools
The 134-year-old canned food brand was ranked among Malaysia’s 10 most chosen FMCG brands in Kantar’s Brand Footprint study for 2024. Its marketing director, Teoh Wei Ling, said the aim of the school programme was to make the lessons stick well beyond a single school day.
“At Ayam Brand, we believe that nurturing healthier futures goes beyond providing nutritious food. Through #AyamBersamaMu: Bekal Sihat Masa Depan, we hope to make learning about nutrition, food preparation and sustainability meaningful and enjoyable, while encouraging healthy habits that stay with children as they grow,” she said.
Food Donations Beyond the School Gate
Outside the classroom, the company also completed a nationwide food donation drive under #AyamBersamaMu, delivering supplies to 20 orphanages and welfare homes with more than 700 beneficiaries. Cartons seen at one handover included canned tuna and chicken spreads, baked beans, coconut milk and chopped tomatoes.
It is not the brand’s first community push. RiseMalaysia previously covered its 17th annual community campaign in 2024.
With all 10 school sessions and the donations now complete, #AyamBersamaMu brings nutrition education, cooking skills, sustainability and community support under one programme, with healthy eating habits at its centre. More details are available on the Ayam Brand Malaysia website.
