GAIN Launches Major Multi-Sector Partnership in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On National Nutrition Day in Indonesia, the Indonesian Ministry of Health in partnership with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) today launched a major multi-sector partnership that will reach over 80 percent of the population with vitamin A fortified vegetable oil.

The ceremony was attended by all partners of the project, including the Indonesian Nutrition Foundation for Food Fortification Development (KFI), oil producers and the Vice Ministers for Agriculture, Industry, Trade and Education and the Vice Minister of the National Planning Agency. Representatives of International Organizations, Civil Society and Private Sector were also present.

In Indonesia, 40 percent of children under five years old are stunted (low height for age). One in five pre-school age children in Indonesia are deficient in vitamin A. This project will complement the vitamin A supplementation strategy to reach more children and mothers.

"GAIN congratulates the Minister of Health, Dr. Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih and Professor Soekirman, the leading expert in nutrition and food fortification in Indonesia, for launching this program that will make an important contribution to the health of the Indonesians," said Marc Van Ameringen, Executive Director of GAIN. "Indonesia has a history of prioritizing the health and nutrition of its people. As a result of the Government of Indonesia's commitment, nutrition has been given the voice it deserves."

GAIN will commit a US$3.5 million grant over the next five years to support oil refineries with the necessary equipment and training to produce fortified unbranded vegetable oil. The grant will also enable the oil industry to buy the vitamins and minerals through the GAIN Pre-mix Facility. The GAIN Pre-mix Facility issued a tender for the vitamin A to be used through a competitive bidding process, and is pleased to announce BASF won the tender for the first installment needed to start production. This project works with the leading Indonesian certified vegetable oil producers. Seventy-five percent of the program is financed by the industry for a total of US$16 million over next five years.

About GAIN

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is an alliance driven by the vision of a world without malnutrition. GAIN is a Swiss foundation that mobilizes public-private partnerships and provides financial and technical support to deliver nutritious foods to those people most at risk of malnutrition. It was created in 2002 at a Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Children. GAIN is delivering improved nutrition to close to 400 million people, half of whom are women and children, in more than 25 countries. GAIN's goal is to reach more than one billion people with fortified foods that have sustainable nutritional impact. GAIN is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and its presence in Cairo, Johannesburg, Nairobi, New Delhi, Shanghai and Washington D.C. supports programs. For more information, please visit: http://www.gainhealth.org/.

SOURCE Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)