Body lobbies for food fortification
Blantyre Institute of Neurological Sciences (BINS), a neurosurgery unit project, has asked Malawians to consume fortified foods to reduce neurological diseases.
BINS executive director Patrick Kamalo made the call at a news conference held in collaboration with Ministry of Health in Blantyre on Friday.
He observed that food fortification, a process of adding macronutrients such as folate and vitamin B12 to staple food to help curb a deficiency, is a public health concern, especially to pregnant women.
“Folic acid supplementation in staple food is important, especially to pregnant women. If a mother does not have enough of this vitamin, the baby develops birth defects, usually in the spine. Children born with this problem may not move their legs,” said Kamalo.
He said last year alone, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (Qech) in Blantyre operated on over 120 children with neurological diseases which he said is alarming.
In his remarks, chief nutrition officer in the Department of Nutrition, HIV and Aids which is under the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Kondwani Mpeniuwawa, said government is committed to enhancing food fortification to prevent folate deficiency.
He said government will work with stakeholders, including manufacturing companies, to add folate and vitamin B12 to their consumable products.
Representatives from United Nations Childrens Fund (Unicef), John Hopkins Research Project, Qech and College of Medicine were also in attendance. n
