Tackling Hidden HungerSOUTH-EAST ASIA MEETING ON Flour Fortification MEDIA INVITATION What: Media Briefing & Luncheon When: Wednesday, 22 August 2007 * 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm Where: Sheraton Subang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Who: Mr. Kul Chandra Gautam, Deputy Executive Director, Why: Half of all deaths of children younger than 5 relate to their under-nutrition, and 50,000 women globally die during childbirth because they are severely anaemic, or iron deficient. Lack of folates, a B vitamin, causes some 200,000 severe birth defects among children each year and is associated with one in ten heart disease-related deaths among adults. Micronutrient deficiencies also impair intellectual development and keep millions of people from their physical and mental potential. These numbers could be dramatically reduced with a simple process that typically occurs in developed countries: fortifying flour products with the crucial vitamins and minerals. From 18-23 August, 70 delegates from the flour industry, along with public health experts and government officials, are meeting to explore how they can create an enabling regulatory and business environment for mandatory flour fortification to succeed in the region. We wish to invite you to a lunch with UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Kul Guatam, who will brief you on the region’s hidden hunger and discuss why food fortification can play a crucial role in combating poverty and poor nutrition. Please join us. ________________________________________ Key Speakers Kul Chandra Gautam Glen Maberly Note to Editors: The First FFI Regional Flour Fortification Workshop for East and South East Asia is being jointly hosted by Flour Fortification Initiative, UNICEF and Interflour. For background information on the workshop: www.sph.emory.edu/wheatflour. For information about the ASEAN Food Conference: http://www.afc07.upm.edu.my/index.html Flour Fortification Initiative – A Public–Private Civic Investment: FFI is a network of individuals and organisations working together to make fortification of flour produced by large roller mills standard practice. FFI Leaders group has committed to achieving 70 per cent fortification of roller mill wheat flour with at least iron and folic acid by 2008. UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. Media Enquiries: Shantha Bloemen, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific; +66 8 1906 0813, sbloemen@unicef.org Roby Hill, Flour Fortification Initiative; +1-843-406-7629, roby_rhill@bellsouth.net Indra Nadchatram, UNICEF Malaysia; (+6) 013 366 3452, inadchatram@unicef.org
Fact Sheets & Resources UNICEF in Action - Nutrition ................................... |
