Goodday Cultured Milk Drinks helps boost students’ immunity as school initiatives start

UNIVERSAL Robina Corp. (URC) and Asahi Beverages Philippines (ABP) distributed over 130,000 free Goodday cultured milk drinks to some 150 schools as part of an initiative to offer a healthier beverage alternative to students in the country.

Goodday is URC’s foray into the P6.5 billion cultured milk category, in partnership with Asahi Beverages Philippines.

The free drinks were given to schools in Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Caloocan, Navotas, Malabon, Marikina, Pasay, Muntinlupa, Paranaque, Pasig and Taguig in Metro Manila; Bocaue, Meycauyan and Marilao in Bulacan; Santa Rosa, San Pedro and Binan in Laguna; and Kawit, Bacoor and Silang in Cavite.

Vice President Sara Duterte, the concurrent education secretary, congratulated ABP on the successful launch of Goodday Culutred Milk Drink. She added that the URC-Asahi school initiative “will only serve as the beginning of our shared endeavor towards the highest welfare of the most vulnerable children and their families in need of nutrition, education and support.”

“Let us work together to secure the present gains of our ongoing pursuit of overall growth and development among Filipino children and youth,” she said.

URC president and CEO Irwin Lee said there are plans to bring the program nationwide, to make more students “YUMImmunity-Ready” for the upcoming school year.

Goodday offers more benefits acrossthe-board than current brands.

It contains heat-treated Lactobacillus Paracasei MCC1849 to help strengthen immunity with proper diet and exercise. This paraprobiotic strain is also known to help prevent the common cold, promote the production of antibodies and enhance the effects of certain vaccines.

Goodday comes in two packaging sizes, 350ml and 80ml, in three delicious flavors: original, strawberry, and mango.

“Consumers have made health and wellness a priority over the past few years, and URC’s joint ventures and product innovations in beverages are ready to address their needs,” said Lee.

ABP chief executive Hemalatha Ragavan said she is confident Goodday will soon be in every Filipino household, as the demand for immunity-boosting health beverages continue to rise. “We also plan to increase our reach to more students across the whole of Philippines”, Ragavan added.

Based on the Nielsen Audit Report of March 2023 covering most readyto-drink beverages, cultured milk is a fast-growing ready-to-drink beverage category in the Philippines, even outpacing milk.

URC and Asahi Beverages Philippines introduced Goodday cultured milk drink as Filipinos—having gone through adversities caused by the Covid-19 pandemic—now have a stronger appreciation for their health.

“Filipinos now have a sharper, more personal take on the maxim ‘Health is wealth’, and we are here to respond to that with products like Goodday,” Lee said.