Increasing Access to Fortified Food among Poor Children in Viet Nam
HANOI, VIET NAM (6 December 2006) - ADB and the Government of Viet Nam signed an agreement today for a grant of $2 million to reduce severe malnutrition among poor children in Viet Nam. The grant, from ADB’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, financed by the Government of Japan, will expand access to fortified complementary food by about 325,000 primarily rural children aged 6-24 months. To achieve this, new small-scale, semi-automated production facilities will be established in Nam Dinh and Than Hoa provinces, while production facilities in Quang Nam and Hanoi will be expanded. The production of complementary food will be supported by new food technology and quality control specialists at the National Institute of Nutrition, and by providing training to the local food control and health units of the Ministry of Health. Over three years, the grant will tap community-based channels for distribution, marketing, and nutrition education in six provinces and 60 districts. It will utilize the network of the Viet Nam Women’s Union, one of the nation’s largest nongovernment organizations, to educate mothers on improved feeding practices. The grant will also develop and test at least three innovative distribution channels for fortified complementary foods to reach the poorest and most vulnerable areas, including a food voucher program. The grant’s target age group suffers the highest rates of malnutrition in Viet Nam. The prevalence of underweight children nearly triples in this critical period, and the prevalence of wasting and stunting doubles between the ages of 12 months and 24 months. “The consequences of malnutrition in these critical years of growth and development affect children’s survival and overall health and have long term implications for themselves and the country as a whole.” says Ayumi Konishi, ADB’s Country Director for Viet Nam. “Traditional home-prepared foods in poor areas often have low nutritional value and cannot meet the nutrient needs of vulnerable children. While fortified complementary foods offer an approach to addressing this problem, there is no large-scale domestic production capacity and due to its limited availability and high cost, only 5-10% of children have access to it.” The total cost of the project is estimated at $2.16 million, of which ADB’s grant will cover $2 million. The Government and local producers will shoulder the balance of $160,000. The National Institute of Nutrition is the executing agency for the project. The JFPR was set up in 2000 with an initial contribution of US$90 million, followed by additional contributions totaling US$155 million in 2002, and annual contributions up to 2006, bringing the total amount to $360 million. About ADB | 
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