Sustainably improving the health of children aged 0 to 3 from families facing financial hardship in France
Context and Social Issue
In France, many families living under financial constraint struggle to access infant nutrition that meets the needs of children aged 0 to 3 years old.
Financial hardship, combined with a lack of reliable nutritional information, can lead to constrained food choices and increase health inequalities from the earliest years of life.
It is estimated that a significant proportion of children from families in precarious situations are exposed to nutritional risks that may have lasting consequences on their development and future health.
Programme Malin: a concrete solution for better infant nutrition
Created over 15 years ago, Programme Malin offers a structural response to this public health issue in France.
The program supports families with young children through a combined approach:
The goal is clear: enable families to ensure quality nutrition for their children, without budget being a barrier.
The impact of Programme Malin on health
Programme Malin addresses a key determinant of young children’s health: eating practices during the first 1,000 days, a decisive period for their development and future health.
Beyond financial access, the program has demonstrated its impact on families’ consumption habits, promoting dietary choices better suited to the nutritional needs of children.
Observed results show a lasting change in eating behaviors (for example, a significant increase in the consumption of infant formula, replacing UHT milk, which is better suited to the nutritional needs of children aged 0 to 3), made possible by the combination of:
Since its creation:
By facilitating access to suitable products and strengthening parents’ nutritional knowledge, the program thus helps to:
A partnership-based and economically sustainable model
The Programme Malin is founded on a hybrid model combining:
This model enables large-scale impact while progressively strengthening the programme’s financial autonomy.
How Danone Communities provides practical support to the Programme Malin
As a founding and longstanding partner, Danone Communities has supported the Programme Malin since its inception.
This support takes the form of:
By supporting the Programme Malin, Danone Communities helps provide appropriate infant nutrition to vulnerable families and takes concrete action to positively impact health worldwide, in line with Danone’s mission.
children have been impacted since the creation of the program
mother, France
It is late in the evening when Adèle comes home. Adèle has a part-time job and she is a single mother of Gabriel, 6-month old, and Louis, 2-year old. She does not have much help raising her sons and she is trying her best to sustain the boys and herself. Adèle did not have a lot of time to learn about and prepare healthy nutrition for her children.
It was a great relief when the pediatric nurse told her about the Malin program. The program helped Adèle to understand the nutritional needs and gave her tools to guarantee healthy nutrition for her sons.
