Malnutritionhasseveralprimarycauses. Hunger,themostinsidious,ismainlyadeficiencyofcaloriesandprotein.Themaincauseofhungerispoverty. Hungerismostdevastatingwhenitattackschildren,sinceitcanaffecttheirmentalandphysicaldevelopmentforthe restoftheirlives,thusdeepeningthepovertycyclesincetheyhavelessaccesstoeducationandopportunitiesforwork laterinlife.However,hungeralsoseriouslyaffectsadults,impedingtheirproductivityandcreatingahostof associatedhealthproblems,makingtheirlivesevenmoredifficult.TheterribleeffectsandlegacyofHIV/AIDSare alsotightlylinkedtohungerandmalnutrition(seeSectiononHIV/AIDS).TheW.H.O.estimatesthesizeofthisgroup atroughly1.2billionpeople. Micronutrientand/orproteindeficiencyisshowninaverylargegroupofmalnourishedpeople.They eitherdonotreceiveadequateamountsofvitaminsandminerals(micronutrients),orthecorrect proportionofproteinintheirdiets.Thiscanalsohaveverydebilitatingeffectsonpeopleandsocieties. Thehealthsymptomsmaynotbeimmediatelyvisibletoeithertheindividualsthemselvesortohealth workers,ortheycantakeyearstomanifestthemselves.Theresultislostproductivity,andagreatincrease inhealthcarecostswhichnegativelyaffectsothergovernmentattemptstoimprovethequalityoflife asidefromtheenormoussocialcost.

Forexample,manyolderpeopleinallcountrieshaveseriousproteinandmicronutrientdeficiencies.As peopleage,theirtraditionalfoodsmaybedifficulttochew,swallowordigest,oritmayseembland,and eatingthenlosesitsappeal.Theymayalsosimplyforgettoeat.Andmanyaboriginalgroupsworldwide nowsufferfromahostofdiseasespreviouslyunknowntothemsuchasdiabetesandcertaincancers.This islargelyduetoashiftfrommoretraditionaldiets,whichincludedfreshmeat,vegetables,fruits,legumes andnuts,tosomeofthehighlyprocessedfoodsofthe"modern"society,whichareoftenverynutrient deficient.AnotherexamplewouldbemostpeoplefromtheformerEasternBlocandSovietUnion countries,whoconsumesufficientortoomanycalories,butwhohaveprotein,vitaminandmineral deficiencies.Theworldwidesizeofthisgroupisestimatedat2billionpeople. Overconsumption,takinginmanymorecaloriesthanrequired,isoftenaccompaniedbyadeficiencyin vitaminsandminerals.Manyfoodcompaniessometimesexploitthehumaninclinationtowardsfattyand sugaryfoodsbyofferingconsumerscheapandoftennutritionallyemptyproducts.Compoundedwiththeir reducedphysicalactivityandgreatermeatconsumption,thesepeople,theoverweightandobese,areafast growingsegmentoftheworld'spopulation.Ironicallytheyoftenlive,asthemiddleandupperclass,in thosecountrieswherehungerisprevalent,suchasinIndiaandChina.Thehealthcarecosts,missed productivityandenvironmentalcostsassociatedwiththisgrouparehuge.TheW.H.O.estimatesthisgroup tobe1.2billionpeopleworldwide. Thecommonthreadthataffectsallofthesegroups,4.4billionpeople,ismalnutrition.

Background

spopulationismoreprosperoustodayasawholethanithaseverbeen.Peopleallovertheworldhavegreatermaterialwealthth

houghthishascomewithaninevitableenvironmentalcost.Asaresultofasubstantialincreaseinagriculturaloutput,humanityh nychoicesoraccesstosuchawidevarietyoffoods.Today'sworldfoodproductioncaneasilymeetthenutritionalneedsofallof owingpopulation.

nabledevelopment,particularlyinagricultureandfoodprocessing,shouldcombinenaturallywithemploymentcreationtocreat orhealthynutrition.However,ignorance,inadequateormismanagedgovernmentprograms,warandsocialoppressionhaveprod mbalancesinhowfoodisdistributed.Inaddition,thetraditionaltradebetweenfarmerandconsumerinsimpler,morebasicfood easinglybeingreplacedbythetradeinhighlyprocessed,massproducedfoodswhichareoftennutritionallyinferior.These"mod tendtobeverydependentontheuseofoils,salt,simplesugarsandrefinedflours.Inaddition,agriculturaltradebarriersinto hiercountrieshavepreventedthecreationofmodernagricultureandfoodindustriesinmostdevelopingcountries.

onicresultisthatinthemidstofgreatplenty,theWorldHealthOrganization(W.H.O.)estimatesthataboutonehalfoftheworld ation,wealthyandpoorcombined,suffersfrompoornutritionofonekindoranother.Thisismalnutrition,definedasanimbalan adeficiencyoranexcess,ofaperson'sintakeofnutrientsandotherdietaryelementsthatareneededforahealthylife.(Stateof 2000,WorldwatchInstitute)

VarietyofFoodsProducedwiththeVitaGoatinNamibia

ngbeyondshorttermfeedingsolutions,longerterm,moresustainableapproachesmustbeused.MalnutritionMattersbelievest wermentoflocalpeopletotakecontroloftheirnutritionalneedsisfundamental.Animportantpartofthiscontrolisthroughacce priatefoodprocessingtechnologiesthatenableinexpensive,localprocessingoflocallyavailablefruits,vegetables,grainsand es.Thisprocessingwouldenablebothpreparationoffoodsforimmediateconsumption,andinexpensivepreservationoffoodsfo mptionweeksormonthslater,viasterilecanning/jarringordryingmethods.Foralargeportionoftheworld,appropriate,afforda yadaptablefoodtechnologycanaccomplishthefollowing:

Putmorecontrolofthesupplyofhealthy,freshlocalfoodsintothehandsofthelocalpeople.Thisreducesthedependenceonm processedfoodssuppliedmostlybylargefoodcompanieswhoseproductsaretoooftenexpensiveanddeficientinessentialnutr Italsoenableslocalstodecidewhatandhowmuchvalueaddedfoodtoproduce,andwhereandwhentoproduceit.Italsomea thatlocalinstitutionssuchashospitals,schools,orphanages,retirementorconvalescenthomes,nativereservesandotherscanc moreofthenutrientqualityoftheirfoodsupply.

Produceandpreservefoodforextendedshelflifetoavoidspoilage,whichisparticularlynecessarywhenprimarycropsbecom

andareingreatsupply.Oftenthereisaglutofcertaincropsandthereismassspoilageduetoinadequateprocessing/preservin options.Thiswillhelpfeedlocalpeoplelongafterharvests,withcheaper,morehygienicandmoreconvenientfoodsthanwould possiblefromtherawfoodsdirectly. Createlocalemployment/microenterpriseswiththedevelopmentofsmallandmediumsizedfoodbusinesses,includingthe employmentofwomenforcottageindustryproduction

Addressthemalnutritionneedsofthelocalpopulationorgroupeitherbyprovidingmoreorbetterproteinandcomplex carbohydrates,lessfatsand/ormorevitaminsandminerals.Anaqueousfoodsolutionalsoprovidesmuchneededcleanwatera anidealvehicleforaddingkeymicronutrientssuchasVitaminA,ironandiodine,thedeficienciesofwhichaffectsoverhalfof world'spopulation.

Serveasaneducationaloutletforteachingpeopleaboutnutrition,howtomakevariousfoodsadaptedtolocalpreferencesand trainothersonhowtousethetechnology.

FoodProducts

tritionMattersisfocusingitseffortsonanumberofnutritiousplantsourcesforwhichreliablefoodprocessingtechnologiesare ble,andpromotestheuseofinexpensivetechnologyforprocessingthesefoodsintohealthy,valueaddedproducts.Wehavedeve ontinuetodevelop,innovative,inexpensivetechnologiesforprocessingsomeofthesefoods.Forexample,theVitaGoatisaversa mwhichcanproducemanydryoraqueousfoods,withouttheneedforelectricityorrunningwater,makingitidealforruralorsm eenvironments(seethe"VitaGoat"section).Theplantproductsbeingprocessedareeitherlocallyavailableandinexpensivewhe n,oraregenerallyeasytogrowandcultivate,andarenutritious,eitherinprotein,micronutrient,fiberoreventypeoffatcontent. andvegetableshavemicronutrientssuchasVitaminsAandCandahostofothernaturalplantcompoundsthatarekeyelements aintenanceofgoodhealth.

sastapleproteinsourceinmostAsiancountries,andhasbeenforoverathousandyears.Soyfoodshavenowalsoenteredthe treammarketinwesterncountries.Recentmedicalstudieshaveshownthatsoycontainsmanyphytochemicals(naturalplant ounds)thatcanpreventoralleviatethesymptomsofheartdisease,somecancers,diabetes,osteoporosisandotherailments.Soya lanttohavealleightessentialaminoacidswithadequatenutritionalbalance.Thewholeseed,includingundissolvablefiber,can omakeawidevarietyoffoods.Inparticular,soyhasproventobeanexcellentalternativetodairyproducts,especiallysoymilka tivessuchastofu,yogurt,andotherproducts.SeetheSoyaDairyFoodsGuide(downloadfromtheVitaGoatIntropage)fornum sandhealthrelatedinformation.Theseproductscanbeconsumedfresh,withouttheneedforrefrigeration,canbebottled(steril

alongshelflifewithoutrefrigerationorcanbepackagedand/orrefrigeratedtoenablelongershelflifeanddistribution.

andVegetablessuchasmangoes,tomatoes,papayas,cassavaandotherscanalsobeusedasrawfoodinputforsuchtechnology. setheoutputissoups,purees,nectars,spreads,juicesandotherproductsthatcanbeproducedquickly,forimmediateconsumpti eservingandpackaging(ornaturallydriedproductsasoutlinedbelow).Theymayalsobeblendedwithsoyorotherprimaryinpu ghinfruitsandvegetablesisrecommendedbyallnutritionistsforalleviatingorhelpingtopreventahostofhealthailments.Nat phytochemicals(forexamplelycopenefromtomatoes)arenowcommonlyconsideredashavingspecificdiseasepreventionorcu ts.TheSolarFlexFruitandVegetableDryerenablesdryingofthesesamefoodswithouttheneedforpreservatives,whichwillex helflifeandretainvirtuallyallofthevitaminandmicronutrientcontent.

lsandGrainsincludingriceandlocallyavailablestaplessuchascorn,millet,sorghumandotherscanbeprocessedwiththe ment.Thesecaneitherbeblendedinasemiliquidsolutiontomakenutritiouscookedgruelsandpastes,ortheycanbedrymille coarsemealorflour.

ndBeanssuchaspeanuts,coffeeorroastedsoybeanscanbegroundtoyieldpeanutbutter,groundcoffee,orsoycoffeerespectiv

othernutsorbeans(roastedorraw)canalsobeprocessed,savingscountlesshoursofbackbreakingmanuallabourconventionall ogrindormashthesefoods.Theseproductscanbeprocessedwiththepedaldrivencyclegrinderonlyanddonotrequirecookin needtheboilerorcookercomponentsthattheothervalueaddedfoodsneed.

hBenefits:

oyCow/SoyaGoat/VitaGoatcanprocessnutritious,locallyavailablefoodsthatcanbeconsumedimmediatelyorfurthersterilized thesameequipment)forlongershelflife(uptooneyearatroomtemperature).Thismeansthatfoodsareprocessedwhentheya andnutrientrich,andwillnotspoilordeteriorate.Soyfoodsareveryhighinproteinandareamuchlessexpensivewaytoconsu ateproteinlevelsasopposedtootherproductssuchasmeat,eggsorfish.

olarFlexdryerisusedtopreservefreshfruit,vegetablesandotherfoods,andisespeciallyusefulwhensuchfoodsareinaglutof y.Throughprovidingverylongshelflifeandmaintainingthenutritionalbenefitsoffreshfoods,thissystemservestoaddresssea ecurityissues,offeringstableyearroundaccesstocertainfoodsthatarenormallyonlyavailableintheharvestseason.

pleofProteinNeedsandSoyFoods.

veragehealthyadultneedsapprox.0.8gof"highquality"proteinforeverykgofbodyweight.Theserequirementsgoupforinfa 2gperkg),adolescents(upto1.2gperkg)andpregnantwomen.Proteindeficiency(PD)cancauseahostofailmentsthatcan ssslowlyorquickly,dependingonhowhealthyorsicktheindividualis.PDcanbemildorsevere,andaffectsupto70%ofthe eninsomedevelopingcountries.Soyaiscomprisedof"highquality"protein,thatwhichthebodymosteasilydigests,andisthe ohaveallessentialaminoacidsinadequateproportion.

iterofsoymilkcontainsapprox.2530gofproteinandeachkgoftofu,approx.100135g.

*Thistableassumesa300mlsoymilkservinganda150gtofuserving:

tresearchhasalsoshownthatcookingcanincreasethenutritionofcertainvegetables(suchascarrotsandtomatoes).Inaddition ctsproducedwiththesystemhavebeensterilizedbeyondpasteurizationtemperatures,andsothewaterandfooddonotharbor tesorotherharmfulmicroorganisms

Malnutrition

tritionhasseveralprimarycauses.

er,themostinsidious,ismainlyadeficiencyofcaloriesandprotein.Themaincauseofhungerispoverty.Hungerismostdevasta itattackschildren,sinceitcanaffecttheirmentalandphysicaldevelopmentfortherestoftheirlives,thusdeepeningthepoverty heyhavelessaccesstoeducationandopportunitiesforworklaterinlife.However,hungeralsoseriouslyaffectsadults,impeding ctivityandcreatingahostofassociatedhealthproblems,makingtheirlivesevenmoredifficult.Theterribleeffectsandlegacyo AIDSarealsotightlylinkedtohungerandmalnutrition.TheW.H.O.estimatesthesizeofthisgroupatroughly1.2billionpeople.

VitaGoatproducedsoyfoodsreadytoserveinChad

nutrientand/orproteindeficiencyisshowninaverylargegroupofmalnourishedpeople.Theyeitherdonotreceiveadequate ntsofvitaminsandminerals(micronutrients),orthecorrectproportionofproteinintheirdiets.Thiscanalsohaveverydebilitati sonpeopleandsocieties.Thehealthsymptomsmaynotbeimmediatelyvisibletoeithertheindividualsthemselvesortohealth rs,ortheycantakeyearstomanifestthemselves.Theresultislostproductivity,andagreatincreaseinhealthcarecostswhich velyaffectsothergovernmentattemptstoimprovethequalityoflifeasidefromtheenormoussocialcost.

ample,manyolderpeopleinallcountrieshaveseriousproteinandmicronutrientdeficiencies.Aspeopleage,theirtraditionalfo edifficulttochew,swallowordigest,ortheymayseembland,andeatingthenlosesitsappeal.Andmanyaboriginalgroups widenowsufferfromahostofdiseasespreviouslyunknowntothemsuchasdiabetesandcertaincancers.Thisislargelyduetoa moretraditionaldiets,whichincludedfreshmeat,vegetables,fruits,legumesandnuts,tosomeofthehighlyprocessedfoodsoft ern"society,whichareoftenverynutrientdeficient.AnotherexamplewouldbemostpeoplefromtheformerEasternBlocandS countries,whoconsumesufficientortoomanycalories,butwhohaveprotein,vitaminandmineraldeficiencies.Theworldwide groupisestimatedat2billionpeople.

consumption,takinginmanymorecaloriesthanrequired,isoftenaccompaniedbyadeficiencyinvitaminsandminerals.Manyf aniessometimesexploitthehumaninclinationtowardsfattyandsugaryfoodsbyofferingconsumerscheapandoftennutritionall products.Compoundedwiththeirreducedphysicalactivityandgreatermeatconsumption,thesepeople,theoverweightandobe astgrowingsegmentoftheworld'spopulation.Ironicallytheyoftenlive,asthemiddleandupperclass,inthosecountrieswhere risprevalent,suchasinIndiaandChina.Thehealthcarecosts,missedproductivityandenvironmentalcostsassociatedwiththis arehuge.TheW.H.O.estimatesthisgrouptobe1.2billionpeopleworldwide.

ommonthreatthataffectsallofthesegroups,4.4billionpeople,ismalnutrition.

Sit

Malnutritionbeganbeforemotherbecomepregnant Childgrowthfailure LowbirthEarlyLowweightand weightbabiesPregnancyheightinteens Smalladultwomen TheMaternalandChildNutritionLink Mother Mothersnutritionisimportantforpracticingchildrearing,careandhousehold economictasks,andforrecoveryforfuturepregnancies Atbirth Birthweightiscloselyassociatedwithchildsurvivalandgrowth Lactation,whichinfluencesnutritioninadolescenceanddetermineshow wellnourishedmotheriswhensheenterspregnancy Adequatenutritionforthe mothershouldbemaintained At2years duringbreastfeeding. Preventionofstuntingingirlchildrenduring Pregnancythefirst2yearscanhelptobreakthecycleofmalnutrition Mothersnutritionbeforeand

duringpregnancyinfluences Adolescence growthanddevelopmentofthe Nutrientstoresbuiltupinadolescencehelpthe fetusanditsbirthweight, nutritionofwomenduringandbetween itaffectsherchancesofsurviving pregnancies. thedelivery. Maternalundernutritioncanleadtoanundernourishedbaby Mostoftheweightgainofthebabyinthewomboccursinthelastfew monthsofpregnancy Poordietandheavyphysicalworkwithinadequaterest Motherisnotwellnourishedduringpregnancy,sheisunabletoprovide sufficientnutrientsforthebodystoresofthechild Draft