ZHUHAI, China, Nov 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Yum China Holdings, Inc.'s ("Yum China") (NYSE:YUMC) KFC Health Foundation hosted its ninth annual conference today in Zhuhai, China. The conference was attended by representatives from Yum China Leadership Team, KFC brand team, and the China Red Cross Foundation ("CRCF"), as well as scientists, scholars and experts in nutrition and health services from around the country.
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"Nutrition is fundamental to the well-being of Chinese people and we are pleased to support the Healthy China 2030 plan through a wide range of research and educational initiatives," said Micky Pant, CEO of Yum China. "Over the past decade, the Yum China KFC Health Foundation has supported extensive research into the development of nutrition and we are committed to improving understanding of balanced diets throughout China."
The Healthy China 2030 plan, recently released by the State Council, outlines the government's goal of increasing the average life expectancy of Chinese people to 79 years and achieving the same health outcomes as high-income countries by 2030.
Yum China partnered with the CRCF to establish the Yum China KFC Health Foundation in 2007. Since then, it has provided RMB 15 million (approximately USD 2.2 million) to support over 50 science research and education programs to improve the eating habits of Chinese people.
Liu Xuanguo, Vice General Secretary of the CRCF, said, "Yum China has always placed food safety and the promotion of balanced diets as top priorities and central elements of its social commitment. The cooperation between the CRCF and Yum China is a fantastic example of the valuable intersection between philanthropy and business."
The conference featured keynote speeches by Dr. Chen Junshi, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and General Advisor to the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Professor Guo Hongwei, General Secretary of the Chinese Nutrition Society (CNS), and Professor Su Yixiang, Director of the Maternal and Paediatric Nutrition Sub-committee of CNS. Dr. Chen Junshi explained the key elements of the Healthy China 2030 plan. Professor Guo Hongwei and Professor Su Yixiang outlined China's national nutrition policies and shared their analysis of the National Health and Family Planning Commission's revised Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2016.
"During the three decades that we have been in China, we have always been committed to improving the lives and nutrition of people across the country," said Alice Wang, Vice President of Public Affairs for Yum China. "We are focused on continuously improving the nutritional profile of our high quality products, while providing our customers with great tasting food and a variety of menu options."
Yum China's restaurants across the country actively participate in public health and nutrition campaigns to expand understanding of nutrition. Since 2008, KFC's One Yuan Donation program, which was founded in partnership with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, has raised over RMB 130 million (approximately USD 18.8 million) and provided more than 29 million nutritious meals to 145,000 impoverished children across China.
In addition, during the China National Nutrition Week in May 2016, KFC restaurants provided over 30 million customers with tray mats to promote nutritional knowledge and share information about the content of a balanced diet for Chinese people.
About Yum China Holdings
Yum China Holdings, Inc., with executive offices in Shanghai, China, is a licensee of Yum! Brands in Mainland China. It has exclusive rights in Mainland China to KFC, China's leading quick-service restaurant concept, Pizza Hut, the leading casual dining restaurant brand in China, and Taco Bell, which is expanding globally and opening in China in 2016. Yum China also owns the Little Sheep and East Dawning concepts outright. Yum China is well positioned for growth due to its strong competitive position, integration of its brands into Chinese popular culture and consumers' daily lives, expanding geographic footprint in China and existing operational expertise. It has a strong capital position, no external debt and expects to continue growing its system sales and profit by adding new restaurants and through growing same-store sales.
Yum China has more than 7,300 restaurants and more than 400,000 employees in over 1,100 cities, and generated over $8 billion in system sales in 2015. A new generation of younger consumers who are digitally sophisticated and brand driven are fueling growth in consumption in China. The ongoing growth of the middle class and urban population in China is expected to create the world's largest market for restaurant brands, with Yum China poised to be the market leader.
For more information contact:
Cindy Wei
+86-21-2407-7529
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