Since I have worked in international development since 1980, most of that
time spent on international nutrition and the last 10 years on
micronutrients, I think I can address some of Karen's Seroussi's concerns
about the Global Alliance for International Nutrition...

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The new alliance is described here from a news report:

"Today, the Gates Foundation is announcing the launch of the new alliance,
which includes Kraft Foods as well as UN agencies, to increase access to
nutrient-fortified foods in developing countries. "

Does it sound to you like it does to me?
***************

What this sounds like to me from my many years of experience is an attempt
to address the serious problems of micronutrient deficiencies through foods
that will not only reach children, but also pregnant and lactating women,
adolescents and various others who are at risk of these deficiencies.  Some
of the problems include vitamin A deficiency which kills about 2 million
children a year (even among those who don't have xerophthalmia) and more
recently has been shown to increase maternal mortality, iron deficiency
anemia which contributes to maternal mortality, infant mortality,
interferes with physical work capacity (many women engage in hard physical
labor tilling fields or working on tea farms) and even among those with
mild deficiency impairs childhood development.  Also, many people are
unaware that iodine deficiency is the leading cause of permanent mental
retardation throughout the world.

In an effort to approach the problem international aid organizations work
with the food industry to fortify commonly consumed low cost foods and
there have been some excellent examples where this cooperation has made a
significant dent in the prevalence of these deficiencies. The iodization of
salt, which has only really occurred in developing countries in the last 10
or so years is the best example of this.  I remain more skeptical about
some of the other foods that are being promoted because the technical
people promoting particular fortified foods often forget about the
incredibly intricate politics surrounding the international marketing of
foods.  Politics has been the deciding factor in many unsuccessful attempts
at what seemed to be good ideas for fortification projects and is almost
never discussed at micronutrient meetings.

While this particular GAIN initiative may be well intended, we still do
need to remain ever vigilant to the potential for companies to take
advantage of this cooperative atmosphere with regards to promoting infant
formula. There is at least one disastrous meeting that I know of where this
occurred and I'm sure many more that I don't know about. Some of the
micronutrient experts come from fields such as endocrinology where there
are not as well versed in the long sad history of the food industry's
continued interference with breastfeeding.  Even in the arena of vitamin A
supplements, which have proven very successful in eliminating xerophthalmia
from Indonesia and reducing it to minimal levels in the Philippines, there
have been notable violations.  Both BASF and Hoffmann-La Roche were fined
for price fixing violations for vitamin A supplements about 4 or 5 years
ago.

Susan Burger, PhD, MHS
formerly director of nutrition at an international not for profit
organization(which was supposed to promote breastfeeding because it
prevents vitamin A deficiency in under six month olds, but didn't apply the
same principals to staff members)

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