*EPF308 05/12/2004
Text: USAID Announces Contribution to Global Nutrition Program
(Funds will support "food fortification" in developing world) (560)

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is supplementing its overseas food programs with a $2.5 million contribution to the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), a nonprofit group that targets nutritional needs in developing countries.

In a May 12 news release, USAID noted that GAIN had recently awarded $10.7 million in grants to support nutrition programs in Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Mali, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

The programs fund the addition of vitamins and minerals to common foods such as wheat flour, sugar and cooking oil. The process is known as food fortification and has been used in industrialized nations for more than 80 years, USAID said.

"Increased intake of vitamins and minerals can reduce the severity of infectious diseases, such as malaria, measles and diarrheal disease," Dr. E. Anne Peterson, a USAID assistant administrator said in the release. Increased vitamin A intake can reduce child mortality by 30 percent, she said.

In addition to working with GAIN, USAID also supports country food fortification programs in Bangladesh, Central America, Eritrea, Ghana, Mali, Morocco, the Philippines, Uganda and Zambia, the agency said.

Following is the text of the news release:

(begin text)

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Washington, D.C.

May 12, 2004

WASHINGTON, DC -- USAID Administrator Andrew S. Natsios today announced a $2.5 million contribution to The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), established to improve the nutritional status of at least 600 million people in up to 40 developing countries.

The announcement comes on the heels of a $10.7 million grant award from GAIN's international alliance to support vitamin and mineral country programs over the next three years in Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Mali, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

The funding from USAID and other donors will help support grants to bolster country food programs. Adding vitamins and minerals to common foods, a process known as food fortification, can save lives, prevent disabilities and help build health and productivity.

"Well-designed food fortification programs are essential to improving the health of people in the developing world, especially children," said Dr. E. Anne Peterson, USAID Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Global Health. "Increased intake of vitamins and minerals can reduce the severity of infectious diseases, such as malaria, measles and diarrheal disease. Most significantly, increased vitamin A intake can reduce child mortality by 30 percent. Food fortification reflects the growing global movement determined to give all children the best possible start in life."

Vitamin and mineral deficiency, also known as micronutrient deficiency, can cause birth defects, maternal and child death, blindness, anemia and increased vulnerability to infections. These deficiencies can be reduced by adding vitamins and minerals to staple and processed foods like wheat flour, sugar, cooking oil, bouillon cubes and other condiments. The fortification process has been used in industrialized nations for more than 80 years.

Overall, GAIN has awarded grants to Bolivia, China, the Dominican Republic, Mali, Morocco, Pakistan, South Africa, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam.

In addition to working with GAIN, of which USAID is a founding member, the agency also supports the development of country food fortification programs in Bangladesh, Central America, Eritrea, Ghana, Mali, Morocco, the Philippines, Uganda and Zambia.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.

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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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