Indonesia fortified biscuit project closes

Related tags Nutrition

After three years a project that fed vitamin and mineral fortified biscuits to 37,000 Indonesian school children has closed.

Run by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the "Smart Schools Make Smart Kids" programme reached 130 schools. The biscuits fortified with nine vitamins and five minerals covered half of a child's daily nutritional requirements as well as medication for intestinal worms.

Cargill contributed $3m to the project as part of its $60m annual spend on such projects – or about two per cent of its annual turnover, according to spokesperson Steve Fairbairn.

He said the company also gave large donations to groups such as CARE which sought to improve nutrition, health and education in p[laces like Africa.

Worms

The project addressed the issue of worms in children. They are common in the developing world and reduce the ability of the body to absorb other nutrients and so malnutrition and worms are health issues that have become entwined.

"Cargill is committed to nourishing people, and we are committed to give back to the community where we operate,” said Lucy Tjahjadi, president director of Cargill Indonesia. “We are proud that our program made significant improvements in the lives of some of Indonesia's most needy children.”

The WFP Indonsesia’s manager of donor relations said: “WFP is very grateful for Cargill's three-year support in improving the health and nutritional status of these children. The partnership has led to many of the activities being replicated by the local government which will ensure long-term sustainability. Moving forward, with more than 25 million Indonesians still in the priority food-insecure category, we hope similar initiatives will come from other private sector companies, generating further support to the fight against hunger and malnutrition.”