Navyn Salem on delivering nutritious foods in challenging environments
William Lambers
November 21, 2010
Part of the hunger relief missions in Haiti, Pakistan, and other countries takes place in Providence, Rhode Island. This is where the company Edesia produces the life-saving plumpy'nut foods for infants.
The UN World Food Programme and other aid agencies use plumpy because it's highly nutritious and does not require preparation or refrigeration. It is a ready-to-eat food and it can quickly save small children from deadly malnutrition.
When a country is in conflict or suffering from a disaster, there will be food shortages. Small children may be deprived of nutrients essential for their growth. Without nourishment, the children can be dealt a blow from which they can never recover. As Herbert Hoover said after World War II, "Children cannot wait for their reconstruction until some other time; their future is being made now." Plumpy foods give children a chance to seize that future.
A sound strategy for defeating global hunger and bringing stability revolves around getting nutritious foods to infants. They are the future. And the relative cost to get these children the food is minimal, and yet governments have not integrated enough child feeding into their foreign policy strategy.
Navyn Salem is the director of Edesia. Recently, she spoke at the Global Conference on Biofortification. Below you can view the video of her speech covering a wide range of aspects, from producing plumpy'nut to the delivery of this food.
The UN World Food Programme and other aid agencies use plumpy because it's highly nutritious and does not require preparation or refrigeration. It is a ready-to-eat food and it can quickly save small children from deadly malnutrition.
When a country is in conflict or suffering from a disaster, there will be food shortages. Small children may be deprived of nutrients essential for their growth. Without nourishment, the children can be dealt a blow from which they can never recover. As Herbert Hoover said after World War II, "Children cannot wait for their reconstruction until some other time; their future is being made now." Plumpy foods give children a chance to seize that future.
A sound strategy for defeating global hunger and bringing stability revolves around getting nutritious foods to infants. They are the future. And the relative cost to get these children the food is minimal, and yet governments have not integrated enough child feeding into their foreign policy strategy.
Navyn Salem is the director of Edesia. Recently, she spoke at the Global Conference on Biofortification. Below you can view the video of her speech covering a wide range of aspects, from producing plumpy'nut to the delivery of this food.
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