BY NDUMBE BELL GASTON IN DOUALA
A study sampling 205 anaemic cases of children under five with Nestlés product of enriched and non-enriched Cerelac made of wheat flour, has demonstrated that the group of children that were fed with Cerelac enriched with iron had anaemic cases reduced by 54% as against only 11%, of children who consumed the non-fortified.
The research study carried out again demonstrates that although the World Health Organisation (W.H.O) had approved and recommended the use of iron micronutrients in children’s food drinks and foods, as one of the preventive measures in the fight against anaemia many countries like Cameroon are still dragging feet in it’s implementation.
The Ministry of Public Health which had quickly lauded the measure as a step in the right direction to agro-industrial outfits in the nation, has been exposed by the findings carried out by Professor Tetanye, honorary Dean of the Facaulty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Yaounde I, among others.
The results goes on to confirm that iron deficiency is the most widespread threat in the world that must be approached with strong nutritional programs to overturn the disorders caused.
For example, it has been reported that in Cameroon three out five children are hit by anaemia of which iron deficiency is central. The after effects are many; such as a cut in cognitive development, reduction in the working capacity of the workforce slowing down economic and national development, aside from other negative effects like a degenerated physical growth and immunity on those affected.
For these and other reasons the Ministry of Public Health and other stakeholders in the sector are exhorted to act quickly to implement the WHO recommendations. Experts say iron micronutrients are primordially found in balanced diets that correspondingly impact on good health. The W.H.O sees micronutrients in foods or food fortification as a very cheap way of supplying nutritive elements across the population without any radical food budget hikes.
This is how Tom Caso, Director General of Nestle Cameroon calibrated the relationships, “Malnutrition continues to have an exorbitant human and economic cost in terms of health expenditures and loss of productivity. As the leading agribusiness company in Cameroon we think we can contribute to the improvement of the nutritionally risky population by offering food and drinks enriched with micronutrients.We are proud that Cerelac helps to support Cameroonian children.”