ISLAMABAD (PR) Representatives from the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Reforms, businesses, , and the development partners held a two days meeting to develop an action oriented roadmap to upscale food supplementation as a means of addressing the nutritional requirements of vulnerable groups including women and children.
The roadmap will help to address issues across the spectrum of policies, regulation, production, supply and demand creation. Increased business awareness and additional investment by the private sector will also be catalyzed as the roadmap is implemented. The meeting was organized by the SUN Business Network (SBN) at Lahore. The SBN is co – convened and supported by theWorld Food Program (WFP), Micronutrient Initiative (MI) & Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).
Food supplementation & complimentary food will be our strategy keeping in view the evidence to support the intervention According to NNS 2011 Pakistan Anemia in Children under 5 years is 61.9% while Anemia in Pregnant Women is 31% Whereas stunting is at 44%Approx.
Pakistan has an alarmingly high level of malnutrition and most recent estimates by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) state that 37.5 million people in Pakistan are not receiving proper nourishment.Malnutrition in Pakistan is usually associated with poverty and the main causative factors include low consumption of food and foods with low nutritional value.
While Speaking to the audience SUN Focal Point Pakistan Mr. Muhammad Aslam Shaheen Said (Ministry of Planning), Development, and Reform, said low nutrition status of people is one the biggest problems being faced by Pakistan. Heemphasized that the private sector needs to come forward and help develop innovative solutions to address malnutrition in the country.
Chief Nutritionist Ministry of Planning, Development, and Reform Mr. Aslam Shaheen, said that investments in mothers and children have the highest return and benefit the whole society. He said that “evidence suggests that an additional dollar invested in quality nutrition programs will yield an average return of $16”.
