Getting essential vitamins and minerals on the menu for all children is key to reducing undernutrition. Four lessons can help roll out the distribution of micronutrients all over the world
Children in developed countries benefit from vitamins and minerals added to foods like cereals that boost healthy brain development and physical growth, helping to support the social and economic potential of the next generation. Unfortunately, not all children around the world share this advantage. Deficiencies of vitamins and minerals (also called micronutrients) are part of the larger problem of undernutrition which is an underlying cause of up to one-third of child deaths in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, according to figures from Unicef.
Undernutrition from micronutrient deficiency is certainly not a new problem, the UN and the academic community focused on generating the evidence to better understand the issue during the latter part of the 20th century. There was also growing awareness of the need for new innovations to address pervasive nutritional deficiencies like anemia. With this in mind, and in response to a Unicef-led challenge to find new solutions that could benefit the world's poorest children, micronutrient powders (MNPs) were developed.
Affectionately referred to as 'sprinkles', MNPs are packets of powdered vitamin and minerals that can be easily added to children's food by caregivers without any change to the colour, texture or taste of traditional foods, and with no overt negative side effects. Studies have found MNPs a safe and effective intervention to cure micronutrient deficiencies among children.
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