33% Liberian children malnourished

Deputy Commerce Minister for Industry Mr. Roland Carey says Macro Nutrient Survey conducted in early 2011 shows that about 33 percent of children in Liberia are malnourished.

“Statics shows that 33% of Liberian children are malnourished, and [it] leads to a lot of deficiencies which pose serious threat to the growth and health of children,” Mr. Carey told reporters on Thursday, 26 October.

Addressing reporters at the Information Ministry during its regular press briefing, the Deputy Commerce Boss for Industry said the National Fortification Alliance is a combination of two year project that started in 2015 with a joint effort of the Health Ministry, and the Commerce Ministry with international partners, including stakeholders.

The 2011 report notes that the number of undernourished people in Liberia remains high. Although Liberia adopted the Millennium Development Goals including the halving of proportion of hungry people by 2015, and reduction of under-five mortality by two-third, the country is said to be nowhere near meeting those target.

The report further emphasizes that livelihood shifts that has negatively affected families in rural Montserrado, further revealing that high level of food and nutrition insecurity tend to go in hand with low level of investment in crop production.

According to Mr. Carey, the purpose of the program was to look at the types of food that many children were taking in here, including the lack of multi – nutrients for the development of programs.

He further disclose here that malnourished leads to hypertension including sugar and diabetes, which according to him have claimed the attention of the National Fortification Alliance of Liberia.

The Commerce official Fortification Alliance has been able to monitor all foods in ensuring that they have all the macro nutrients so that the identify the kinds of foods that will come.

According to Mr. Carey, the National Food Fortification Alliance program is about the implementation of every food product to enhance collaboration among stakeholders both in private and public sectors in and around Liberia.

Minister Carey adds that the Alliance is a joint effort between two key institutions of government, including Health and Commerce Ministries.

“Some accomplishments of the National Food Fortification Alliance is that we have established the legal framework, and the implementation of some functions,” he says, adding that they have qualified safety and testing.

By Lewis S. Teh–Edited by Winston W. Parley