WFP air lifts 35 mt of food to children of cyclone-hit Myanmar

Bangalore, Jun 9 (UNI) United Nations under its World Food Programme (WFP) today air lifted from the city, 35 metric tones of a novel food to stave off malnutrition among infants and young children affected by cyclone 'Nargis' in Myanmar recently.

The ready to eat food, in a paste form having high nutritional value, was produced by city-based MTR Foods, owned by Norway-based Orkla Foods.

Shyam S Dubey, Head of Procurement and Logistics, WFP, the consignment was meant for 30,000 severely affected due to malnutrition children in the age group of six months to 24 months in the Ayerwaddy Delta of Myanmar.

The cargo was air lifted from Bengaluru International Airport to Yangon in a chartered flight this evening.

WFP in collaboration with Indian manufacturers had developed an innovative Ready to Use Food for Children (RUFP) that was energy dense, protein enriched and fortified with an array of micro nutrients that would help children maintain optimal growth.

One daily ration will provide most of the required nutrients to meet the needs of these children.

Dubey said it had been one month since the cyclone hit the delta and it was still a critical time to get adequate nutrition for vulnerable young children. This innovative food would provide sufficient nutrition to help the children fend off diseases.

Overall WFP had extended food assistance had so far reached over five lakh beneficiaries in the cyclone affected area of Myanmar, he added.

UNI MSP RS RKN1728