|
|
 |
|
| Opportunities & Exposures |
Food for Thought
Rolf Carriere
08/02/2004
|
To date, we have approved grants totaling $30 million to Bolivia,
China, Dominican Republic, Ivory Coast, Mali, Morocco, Pakistan, South Africa,
Uzbekistan and Vietnam. All of these countries have identified the foods that
even the poorest households consume regularly, and have forged alliances with
their leading local or multinational food industry companies to add specific
vitamins and minerals. They have also set up national alliances among such
partners as consumer organizations, the government and leading universities to
provide consumer education, product promotion, food quality control and program
evaluation.
We anticipate that our small investments will have a large
impact. In Vietnam, the Asian Development Bank estimates that $2 million a year
spent on better nutrition will lead to an annual increase of $74 million in
blue-collar productivity and of $177 million in heavy-labor productivity.
Enhanced school performance and learning should help increase the future
earnings and productivity of children by about $103 million.
In the
Middle East, where bread is an important staple, fortified bread can provide up
to 94 percent of a person’s daily iron requirement. We estimate that this could
increase current and future productivity by $200 million a year.
Malnutrition
is a complex problem that requires input from all stakeholders for its
resolution. Private donors and foundations can sustain GAIN’s efforts and
increase the likelihood of eliminating malnutrition in a single
generation.Rolf Carriere is the executive director of the Global Alliance for
Improved Nutrition in Geneva (www.gainhealth.org).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
