{"id":53424,"date":"2019-10-16T07:58:19","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T06:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brandspurng.com\/?p=53424"},"modified":"2019-10-16T07:58:19","modified_gmt":"2019-10-16T06:58:19","slug":"iron-deficiency-undermines-the-lives-of-millions-in-africa-isnt-it-time-we-do-more-to-end-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brandspurng.com\/2019\/10\/16\/iron-deficiency-undermines-the-lives-of-millions-in-africa-isnt-it-time-we-do-more-to-end-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Iron Deficiency Undermines the Lives of Millions in Africa \u2013 Isn\u2019t it time we do more to end it?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Iron Deficiency Undermines the Lives of Millions in Africa \u2013 Isn\u2019t it time we do more to end it? (By R\u00e9my Ejel, Market Head for Nestl\u00e9 CWAR Ltd.)<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Iron, a key nutrient to develop children\u2019s brains and help adults live productive lives, is acutely lacking in people\u2019s diets<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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ACCRA, Ghana, October 15, 2019,\/ — By R\u00e9my Ejel, Market Head for Nestl\u00e9 CWAR Ltd.<\/p>\n

Document link:\u00a0http:\/\/bit.ly\/2OWpbEC<\/a><\/p>\n

There is an African proverb that says: \u201cYour food is supposed to be your medicine and your medicine is supposed to be your food<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet millions of people on the continent are not living their lives to the fullest because the food they\u2019re eating is not providing them with enough nutrients to feed their brain and body.<\/p>\n

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The theme of this year\u2019s\u00a0World Food Day<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 Healthy Diets for a Zero Hunger World \u2013 calls on everyone to start thinking about what we eat.<\/p>\n

Live strong with iron<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Iron, a key nutrient to develop children\u2019s brains and help adults live productive lives, is acutely lacking in people\u2019s diets.<\/p>\n

Iron deficiency is the most common and widespread nutritional burden across the globe. Young children, adolescent girls and pregnant women are the ones who suffer the most. It disables their bodies, reduces their capacity to learn and work to earn a good living, and in its most severe forms \u2013 anaemia \u2013 contributes to women dying during childbirth delivery.<\/p>\n

But why should we care? Because iron deficiency inhibits the sustainable, economic growth of Africa.<\/p>\n

Do you know if iron deficiency is affecting you or your family?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tiredness, fatigue, paleness and being short of breath are all symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia.<\/p>\n

But the reality is, most people in Central and West Africa do not associate these symptoms with the lack of iron and are therefore not aware of the dire consequences it can have on their lives and their families.<\/p>\n

In Ghana, more than one out of five children below under the age of five years old are iron deficient. In\u00a0C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire<\/a>, iron deficiency anaemia affects 80% of preschool children as well as 50% of schoolchildren and women.<\/p>\n

With iron deficiency being the cause of half of the anaemia cases, over 75%+ of youngsters under the age of five are anaemic in Sierra Leone, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and the Gambia, as reported by the World Bank in 2016.<\/p>\n

Iron deficiency is not only preventable; its solutions are inexpensive and effective<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Iron deficiency need not be an on-going ailment. We can stop this hidden hunger weakening the lives of millions. Solutions are within our reach and it\u2019s up to us to address and prevent it.<\/p>\n

More people need to know about iron deficiency<\/b><\/em>
\nPeople in Central and West Africa need to know about the symptoms and the severe, long-term consequences of iron deficiency. Food companies and civil society need to rally behind health authorities to promote locally available foods that are rich in iron and balanced food habits to maximise iron absorption in the body.<\/p>\n

Eat more locally grown iron-rich foods<\/b><\/em>
\nTopping up the iron intake is simple and accessible. From dark leafy greens to legumes, and giblets, fish to red meat<\/a>, including these in your daily mealtimes can help boost your iron intake. Eating these with foods that are rich in vitamin C<\/a>, such as lemons, oranges, papayas, tomatoes and some green vegetables increases the absorption of iron in your body.<\/p>\n

Fortify your diet<\/b><\/em>
\nMeeting iron requirements may be challenging, especially for young children and women.<\/p>\n

Eating fortified foods are a good way to boost iron intake and other vitamins and minerals that may be lacking in people\u2019s diets in an affordable way.<\/p>\n

In Central and West Africa, food fortification is one cornerstone of how Nestl\u00e9 (https:\/\/www.Nestle.com\/<\/a>) enhances the quality of life and contributes to a healthier future by providing affordable and accessible nutrition.<\/p>\n

Back in 2009, we started mapping out the different micronutrient deficiencies in the region and identified the most relevant foods and beverages to fortify to fill in people\u2019s diet gaps.<\/p>\n

Maggi<\/em><\/a>\u00a0bouillon was one of the most obvious solutions as they are widely consumed across the region and across all income levels. This is why we launched\u00a0iron-fortified\u00a0Maggi<\/em> bouillon cubes<\/a>, with each serving providing 15% of the recommended daily allowance of iron, in addition to 30% of the recommended daily allowance of iodine.\u00a0Cerelac\u00a0<\/em>infant cereals are another food solution that provides loads of nutrition for small tummies, which is fortified with iron, zinc, iodine and vitamin A and B, along with Nido\u00a0<\/em>milk and\u00a0Milo<\/em>\u00a0beverages.<\/p>\n

Other ways to enrich people\u2019s diets is to use naturally biofortified crops, such as the vitamin A-rich orange maize, which is grown in Nigeria with the support of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Harvest Plus. These are win-win crops: farmers can consume it in their households and food companies can include it in their products. By 2020, Nestl\u00e9 will integrate at least\u00a01,000 tonnes of biofortified maize<\/a>\u00a0in its\u00a0Golden Morn<\/em>\u00a0cereals in Nigeria.<\/p>\n

In 2018, we provided 73 billion fortified food servings to families in the region and made sure that 100% of our children\u2019s food portfolio is fortified.<\/p>\n

Food fortification is cheap \u2013 it only costs between 2-5% of the cost of the raw material, helps leverage people\u2019s current food habits and\u00a0is effective in reducing deficiencies.<\/a><\/p>\n

Other useful solutions<\/b><\/em>
\nTiming your usual coffee or tea 30 minutes or more after a meal may help as these beverages contain ingredients that limit iron absorption.<\/p>\n

If you are concerned about your iron intake, consult your doctor about taking an iron supplement, particularly if you are pregnant.<\/p>\n

Why act now?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Iron deficiency undercuts the future success of millions of African children and women. Yet, it is preventable through solutions that are affordable and accessible to all.<\/p>\n

So it is up to all of us to tackle iron deficiency and anaemia using a collaborative approach.<\/p>\n

This can be as simple as raising awareness about the benefits of a balanced and iron-rich diet to people through engaging campaigns and relevant messaging. For example, we aim to make progress in this area by launching an\u00a0iron deficiency awareness campaign<\/strong>\u00a0on World Food Day, together with experts, regional personalities and the First Lady and Africa Nutrition Leadership Champion for Ghana, Rebecca Akufo-Addo.<\/p>\n

By working together, we can also all help to improve people\u2019s health and nutrition. From government to civil society, to farmers and companies, it should be our priority to make healthy and sustainable diets affordable and accessible to everyone. Doing so will contribute to Africa achieving the\u00a0Sustainable Development Goals.<\/a><\/p>\n

We have the means to make this a reality \u2013 let\u2019s act now.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Iron Deficiency Undermines the Lives of Millions in Africa \u2013 Isn\u2019t it time we do more to end it? (By R\u00e9my Ejel, Market Head for Nestl\u00e9 CWAR Ltd.) Iron, a key nutrient to develop children\u2019s brains and help adults live productive lives, is acutely lacking in people\u2019s diets ACCRA, Ghana, October 15, 2019,\/ — By […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53431,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[15198,7],"tags":[14854,3260,7303],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brandspurng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Iron-Deficiency-Undermines-the-Lives-of-Millions-in-Africa-Brandspur.jpg?fit=800%2C589&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8rAyM-dTG","jetpack-related-posts":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandspurng.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53424"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandspurng.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandspurng.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandspurng.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandspurng.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/brandspurng.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandspurng.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandspurng.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandspurng.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandspurng.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}