DSM in partnership with the World Food Program

In March 2007 DSM announced an official partnership between itself and the United Nation’s World Food Program (WFP). The WFP is the largest provider of food aid to the world’s hungry. They feed and nourish an average of 100 million people in over 80 countries each year. DSM will provide the WFP with expertise, high nutrient products as well as financial assistance.

Hunger is the number one cause of death in the world, killing more people than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. But even if people have enough food to survive, this food is variable in nutritional value. This means that even if there is sufficient caloric intake, there is a lack of certain key nutrients. This type of under nutrition is generally referred to as ’hidden hunger’ – malnutrition resulting from vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The results of malnutrition can extend for example to impaired productive capacity and blindness from vitamin A deficiency. According to WFP, the cost of child malnutrition is as much as two to three percent of annual GDP in some developing countries.

DSM is well positioned to contribute to the elimination of malnutrition. Besides the already 20 years existing humanitarian program SIGHT AND LIFE, DSM has developed the Nutrition Improvement Program (NIP) over the last few years. NIP provides technical and scientific support for supplementation programs and for the fortification of staple foods with essential vitamins and minerals in developing countries. A new example in this context is the ‘nutritious rice kernel’: an exact replica of a rice kernel with a high concentration of vitamins and minerals, which through mixing with normal rice makes it highly nutritious food. DSM owns rights regarding a patented process to produce this novel fortificant.

Hunger is a problem that can be solved. Hunger is more than having an empty stomach. Hunger means not getting the necessary daily nutrition to lead a fully active, productive and healthy life. Hunger affects more than 800 million people around the world. A child dies every 5 seconds because he or she is hungry. Our planet produces more than enough food for every man, woman and child to live healthy and productive lives. One of the main reasons poor children don’t go to school is because they’re hungry. Increasing school education and boosting nutrition is one of the keys to breaking the cycle of poverty.

Nothing is more worthwhile and important than investing on the health of children. Eliminating poverty and ending hunger is the number one Millennium Development Goal. WFP (The United Nations World Food Programme) is the largest humanitarian relief agency in the world, feeding 90 million poor people in more than 80 countries every year.

To increase public awareness of child hunger and to raise funds to finance projects assisting hungry children, ‘Fight Hunger: Walk the World’ was initiated in 2003 at the Great Wall. Over the past 3 years this event has been expanded to a global activity, which covers 24 time zones. In 2006 nearly 800,000 people participated in 420 cities of 118 countries raising awareness and enough funds to feed over 100,000 children meals for one school year.

This year WFP expanded ‘Fight Hunger: Walk the World’ in China, to help more poor children into school and out of hunger on 13th, May. Over 1,000 people from UN system in China, Chinese government, industries, universities, international schools, corporations and the media gathered at Beijing World Park to represent China in this global activity. DSM China joined the activity.