191204 VLCC PR

Shed your weight, feed the hungry!

VLCC campaign targets 2t weight loss, to donate equal
weight in food to the poor Red Crescent takes care of

DUBAI — A kilo of excess body weight lost equals a kilo of free food distributed.

A month-long campaign launched recently by beauty, health and wellness brand VLCC in
conjunction with the Emirates Red Crescent has challenged people in the region to feed the
hungry by “donating” their excess body weight.

“For every 1kg you shed during this anti-obesity drive in VLCC’s centres, the company donates
on your behalf a kilo of food for the poor and the hungry that Red Crescent takes care of,” said
Mr Sanjeev Setia, VLCC’s chief business officer Middle East.

“We’re now set to give 1,520kg of food packets to the Red Crescent in lieu of the 1,520 kilos of
excess weight so far lost in our GCC centres in the initial 20 days of the drive. We expect to
donate about 2 tonnes when we’re done with the campaign,” he added.

“Donate Your Weight”, the 30-day campaign launched in the Arabian Gulf region, coincides
with a one-month anti-obesity drive of VLCC going on in 13 countries, where the company has a
presence. The initiative has been organized with the active involvement of the medical
fraternity. Its objective is to create awareness about the ill-effects of obesity and guide people
to lead a healthy life.

VLCC, which has 25 centres all over the Arabian Gulf including 12 in the UAE, has observed Anti-
Obesity Day on 26th November for about 30 years.

“It is high time that we showed a commitment to healthy lifestyle habits. Our weight loss
campaign not only prompts people to cut down weight and proactively lead a healthy lifestyle,
it gives them an opportunity to be part of a noble initiative to feed the hungry,” said Ms
Vandana Luthra, VLCC founder & co-chairperson.

“As a group, VLCC has been guided by the vision of ‘transforming lives’. We urge self-
transformation, spreading happiness and helping every individual imbibe wellness for life.”

The campaign also seeks to address increasing cases of obesity in the Arabian Gulf. Media
reports earlier this year cited a study by Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi that found nearly
70pc of Emirati male adults under the age of 30 obese.

“We are happy to join hands with VLCC to give an opportunity to everyone to be part of a great
effort to remove poverty and hunger. Your gift, while helping you shed excess weight, will ease
suffering and provide lifesaving nourishment to the needy,” said a statement by Emirates Red
Crescent.

VLCC’s anti-obesity campaign includes organizing health camps,
mass counseling sessions, and talk-shows with health experts,
besides extensive media interactions, and dissemination of
special literature on obesity in all its centres.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), overweight and obesity pose the fifth
leading risk for global deaths. A person whose Body Mass Index (BMI) — the individual’s weight
in kilos divided by the square of his height in metres—is greater than or equal to 25 is
overweight. When BMI is greater than or equal to 30, the person is considered obese.

MORE ABOUT VLCC: Founded in 1989 as a beauty and slimming services centre in New Delhi,
VLCC today manages one of the largest chains of slimming, beauty and fitness centres across
Asia and is widely recognized for a comprehensive portfolio of beauty and wellness products
and services made in India, Singapore and Switzerland. Its operations currently span 330
locations in over 150 cities and 14 countries across Asia and Africa. These include the UAE,
Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Kenya, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and
Singapore.