Helen Keller International

July 2010

Improving Nutrition Through Food Fortification

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• The practice of fortifying staple foods, which is commonplace in industrialized countries, has not yet taken hold everywhere.– Micronutrient deficiencies are responsible for

widespread health problems in the developing world.– Anemia alone is a critical health issue for some two

billion people, or one third of the world’s total population.

– Vitamin and mineral deficiencies cause premature death and disability in many parts of the world.

Micronutrient Deficiencies and Food Fortification

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Nearly 10,000 Children Under 5 Die Every Day Because of Malnutrition

© HKI/Wendy Lee

• HKI’s Food Fortification programs provide communities and families with more nutritious foods, enabling people to lead healthier lives.– We collaborate with partners on large-scale efforts to

fortify cooking ingredients with essential vitamins and minerals.

– We develop channels to distribute fortificants that can be used in home, such as Sprinkles and Plumpy’Nut®.

– We promote fortified products to targeted populations through extensive social marketing campaigns.

Helen Keller International: Food Fortification Helps Save Lives

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HKI’s Food Fortification Programs Help Save Lives

• HKI collaborates with partners on large-scale efforts to fortify essential foods. Our efforts include:– Fortifying cooking oil with Vitamin A. This initiative

aims to reach 70% of the population of West Africa, or 60 million people, by the end of 2010.

– Fortifying wheat flour, a staple food, with folic acid and iron, which helps combat birth defects and iron deficiency.

Large-Scale Food Fortification Supplies Essential Nutrients

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HKI’s Work Results in Fortifying Cooking Oil with Vitamin A

• HKI develops effective and inexpensive in-home solutions for families to fortify their own meals.– Sprinkles: This fortificant contains multiple

micronutrients that can be added to home-cooked meals on a daily basis, effectively reducing anemia in women and children. In Indonesia, after the 2004 tsunami, HKI distributed Sprinkles to 200,000 children.

– Iron supplementation to combat anemia: HKI provides supplements to pregnant women.

– Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTFs), such as Plumpy’Nut®, are nutrient-rich pastes to treat severe malnutrition.

HKI Helps Control Micronutrient Deficiencies with In-Home Solutions

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HKI Helped Victims of the 2004 Tsunami in Indonesia by Distributing Sprinkles

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HKI Popularizes Healthy Foods with Social Marketing

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© HKI/Carol Stein