Over 600 parents and children commemorate Healthy with KidSTART five-year anniversary at largest What’s for Lunch? event to date

The Healthy with KidSTART initiative has expanded significantly, growing from supporting 120 families in 2020 to more than 3,100 families in 2024

Joining the families was the event's Guest-of-Honour, Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State for Social and Family Development, Ms Chan San San, CEO of Prudential Singapore, and Mr Joel Tan, CEO of KidSTART Singapore. Programme Presenters include the Health Promotion Board and National University Hospital.

The event also marked the fifth anniversary of Healthy with KidSTART, an early childhood nutrition programme launched in 2020. This initiative aims to help lower-income families with children aged six and below - a period critical for physical and cognitive development - adopt healthy eating habits. The programme, a collaboration between KidSTART and leading life and health insurer Prudential as the main sponsor, has grown significantly from supporting 120 families in 2020 to more than 3,100 families in 2024. It provides monthly fresh produce packs including vegetables and fruits, as well as resources on healthy eating from Prudential.

This longstanding partnership between KidSTART and Prudential has been a cornerstone in promoting early childhood nutrition and well-being for lower-income families. Prudential has gone beyond providing monthly fresh produce packs to actively engaging in community outreach efforts such as educational workshops, the provision of healthy plates¹ for children, and resource development such as live online cooking shows and recipe cards with tips on how to engage young children in the kitchen during meal preparation. Prudential² and KidSTART volunteers have clocked almost 20,000 volunteering hours since the inception of the programme packing and delivering the fresh produce packs at least three times a year.

Recognising the pivotal role of family meals in shaping lifelong nutrition, the What's for Lunch? series was introduced in 2022. This series features interactive cooking workshops by celebrity chefs to equip parents with practical skills and confidence to prepare balanced meals, as well as tips on how to engage their children while cooking. This initiative aligns with Prudential's goal to ensure lower-income families and children have access to healthy ingredients and the know-how to prepare budget-friendly and nutritious meals, enabling people to live well for longer.

At What's for Lunch? A Farm Adventure, parents and children enjoyed an eventful day of child-related health and nutrition activities. This is the first event of such scale that has been arranged for KidSTART families by Prudential. The day's itinerary included craft and stage activities for children, educational workshops such as a Weaning workshop titled "Solid Start: Nurturing Your Baby's Love for Real Food" and a "How to: Affordable & Healthy Meals" talk by Programme Presenters National University Hospital (NUH) and Health Promotion Board (HPB) respectively, as well as live cooking demonstrations by celebrity chef Mel Dean.

Throughout the event, families were encouraged to participate in the various farm-themed games and activities where they could collect stamps and redeem a goodie bag containing a limited edition What's for Lunch? 2025 recipe book, food pouches and a parent-child engagement activity booklet from HPB. The games and activities included Farmer's Market Sweep, where attendees shopped for ingredients to prepare nutritious dishes, Palette to Plate, a colourful art-making activity using vegetable and fruit stamps, and Colourful Farm Sorting, a team game that helps parents understand the importance of incorporating a wide variety of coloured foods into their child's diet.

Through this initiative, KidSTART and Prudential are not just addressing nutritional needs but also nurturing healthier, happier families for a brighter future. This shared mission reinforces the importance of ensuring every child gets a good start in life to enjoy a vibrant and healthy future.

Quotes

Ms Sun Xue Ling, Minister of State for Social and Family Development, said: "Today we celebrate the fifth-year anniversary of Healthy with KidSTART. When we first started this, it was still during the COVID-19 pandemic and we had to do everything mostly online. Over the last five years, so many things have happened. KidSTART, with the support of Prudential as the main sponsor, has produced fresh food produce packs and recipe cards, online cooking demonstration series which have helped lighten the load for busy parents and provided families valuable tips on child nutrition and practical meal preparation tips. It's not just about eating. As you eat together, you will also form strong family bonds in the process."

Ms Chan San San, CEO of Prudential Singapore, said: "We are pleased to celebrate the five-year milestone of the Healthy with KidSTART programme. At Prudential, we want to do our part to ensure children from lower-income families have access to healthier foods, and share with parents how to prepare affordable, nutritious meals. This will foster healthy eating habits from young and contribute towards a healthier future. We see this as a commitment to support our community's well-being."

Mr Joel Tan, CEO of KidSTART Singapore, said: "We are grateful for the support and partnership of valuable partners such as Prudential Singapore, who as the main sponsor, have been instrumental, in the growth and success of the Healthy with KidSTART programme, allowing more than 3,100 families to benefit from monthly fresh food produce packs each month. Good nutrition during the early years is essential to a child's physical, cognitive, and emotional development. Prudential's steadfast commitment over the years also means that our families are able to rely on their continued support, which gives them greater peace of mind and allow them to focus more on their children's other needs. The programme has helped to address nutritional gaps and support healthier communities, while also strengthening parent-child bonds. This milestone is especially meaningful as KidSTART marks its fifth anniversary this year, with an exciting lineup of events planned to commemorate this occasion. We look forward to continued meaningful collaborations to give every child a brighter and healthier future."

Quote from Beneficiary 1 – Ms Cindy Too Xing Di
Cindy is the mother of Ace Tong Wei Heng, who joined the KidSTART programme in February 2024.

Cindy Too, Healthy with KidSTART beneficiary, said: "We've always preferred home-cooked meals, and the fresh food produce packs from the Healthy with KidSTART programme have been such a great help. Using the fresh ingredients, we make soups and porridge for our son, who has just started on solids. It makes us happy to know that we have help to build healthy eating habits for our son from as early as possible."

Quote from Beneficiary 2 – Ms Sangeetha D/O Jagathisan
Sangeetha is the mother of Vihas Vedhan S/O Vasanthran, and Vihana D/O Vasanthran. They joined the KidSTART programme in December 2023.

Sangeetha D/O Jagathisa, Healthy with KidSTART beneficiary, said: "Before joining the Healthy with KidSTART programme, we were quite picky eaters and rarely bought vegetables for our meals. But with the fresh food packs, we didn't want the vegetables to go to waste, so we started including them in our meals. It's been such a positive change! Our 1.5-year-old son has become curious and willing to try different vegetables, and we're so happy he's not a fussy eater. I also learned about new vegetables I'd never seen before and picked up tips from relatives and online to cook them. These fresh food packs have really encouraged us to explore healthier meals together as a family."

Quote from Beneficiary 3 – Ms Nur Farah Jannah Binte Abdul Karim
Nur Farah is the mother of Arfa Ayaana Binte Muhammad Firdaus, Asfa Aryan Bin Muhammad Firdaus, and Ayla Amelia Binte Muhammad Aqil. They joined the KidSTART programme in March 2022.

Nur Farah, Healthy with KidSTART beneficiary, said: "With the fresh produce provided, we've been able to prepare healthy meals for the family, ensuring there's food on the table. This was very helpful especially during tough times. As a mom who is currently breastfeeding, these nutritious ingredients have been essential in supporting my milk supply to feed my baby. It's also a joy to see my children excitedly identify the ingredients in the pack and talk about them—it's become a fun and educational experience for all of us."

ANNEX

About Healthy with KidSTART

Healthy with KidSTART is an early childhood nutrition programme, launched in 2020 as a collaboration between KidSTART Singapore ("KidSTART") and Prudential Singapore. The initiative is aimed at promoting healthy eating habits among children aged 0-6 years old, recognising that good nutrition during this stage is crucial to their development.

Through the programme, families receive monthly deliveries of fresh vegetables and fruits. They also gain access to recipe cards that teach them how to make healthy meals via simple and affordable recipes with the items they receive.


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About Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Ltd (Prudential Singapore)

Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Ltd is one of the top life and health insurance companies in Singapore, serving the financial and protection needs of the country's citizens for 93 years. The company has an AA- Financial Strength Rating from leading credit rating agency Standard & Poor's, with S$53.3 billion funds under management as at 31 December 2023. It delivers a suite of well-rounded product offerings in Protection, Savings and Investment through multiple distribution channels including a network of more than 5,200 financial representatives.

About KidSTART Singapore

KidSTART Singapore Ltd (KidSTART SG) is a non-profit organisation specialising in supporting families in early childhood development.

We partner the government, the hospitals and the community to empower families with less resources to build strong foundations for their children under 6 years old. Our team of highly trained KidSTART practitioners support caregivers with evidence-based guidance on pregnancy, child development and assessments on the developmental progress of children from birth onwards. Our vision is to give children a good start in life.

KidSTART SG is a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) and registered as a charity with Institution of a Public Character (IPC).

Click here to check eligibility and for more information on KidSTART SG.