MUMBAI: In a move set to shape the eating habits of India’s youngest minds, millet-based food brand Slurrp Farm has teamed up with early education giant KLAY for a first-of-its-kind initiative to blend food literacy into everyday preschool life.
With research showing that over 90 per cent of brain development happens before age five, the duo is tapping into this critical window — not just to build cognitive skills but to seed lifelong healthy eating behaviours.
Instead of heavy-handed lectures or guilt-ridden lunchbox policing, the collaboration uses play-based formats like stories, routines and sensory play to make children feel at home with good food. Think classroom prompts, singalong storybooks like Kiki and Her Singing, Dancing Food, and interactive nudges designed to make carrots and millet pancakes the new superheroes at snack time.
KLAY brings scale and trust as one of India’s largest preschool and daycare networks, while Slurrp Farm brings its zero-junk, clean-label food ethos to the table. Together, they’re hoping to spark joyful, pressure-free conversations about nutrition — long before unhealthy habits take root.
Commenting on this partnership, Wholsum Foods CMO, Parent company of Slurrp Farm and Mille, Ankit Kapoor shared, “Our mission has always been to change the way families think about food, starting with children. Not through fear or restriction, but through familiarity, joy, and everyday habits that stick. This partnership with KLAY allows us to take that mission into a space that shapes how children learn, explore, and make sense of the world. If we want to build a healthier food culture, we have to begin where it actually begins — in classrooms, conversations, and the small routines that form the foundation of lifelong choices.”
“At KLAY, our philosophy is centred around holistic development. This includes not just academic growth but also emotional wellbeing, physical health, and now – through this partnership – a conscious approach to food. We’re excited to see the ripple effects of this integration, from the classroom to the family dinner table.” said Klay Preschools and Daycare senior vice president – marketing, Shireen Sultana.
By integrating food learning into the rhythms of early education, the programme hopes to flip the script on mealtime struggles, replacing “eat your veggies” with “let’s play with our food.”
