Micronutrient deficiencies are a leading cause of intellectual disability in children, preventable blindness in children, and maternal death during childbirth. They can limit a person’s ability to learn, earn a living, or live a healthy life. These debilitating consequences damage whole communities, as well as economies.
Catherine Bertini will lead the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) as Chair of its Board for a three year term. “I am thrilled to be joining the Board of GAIN. It is an important and impactful organisation which has made a significant difference in the lives of millions of people” said Ms Bertini.
At GAIN we are passionate about changing the world to abolish the malnutrition that destroys lives, families and undermines communities and nations. In giving his acceptance speech for the 2018 World Food Prize, GAIN Executive Director Lawrence Haddad turned to the personal experiences that shaped commitment its causes and the potential resources to eliminate it.
Too often we stop at “you are the future” and of course that is true, but whether a high school student or an early career professional, these young people are the present. They have tools like social media to mobilise and organise and speak out, they have computer literacy to design apps that can promote accountability and transparency, they have an ability to multitask and they have numbers.
This declaration is based on the presentations and findings of a meeting of global experts on food safety and nutrition convened by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences with support from the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) held at the Vatican, 12-13 September 2018.
In 2018, two Innovation Accelerator Call for Proposals under the GAIN Marketplace for Nutritious Foods have been launched and distributed in Rwanda. It is noticeable that business owners/poultry producers have skills and knowledge required to succeed in this sector, they strive to address long term financial and nutritional aspects of poultry products for the Rwandan population but there are some challenges that still persist.
Dairy consumption is a much debated topic among nutritionists. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends reducing saturated fats to less than 10 percent of total energy intake and reducing trans-fats to less than 1 percent of total energy intake. A study published this month in the leading medical journal The Lancet casts doubt on the epidemiological evidence base for discouraging dairy consumption.
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) has announced the winners of the Elevator Pitch Contest, which called for innovative ideas to remove aflatoxins from our food system. Kumwe Harvest and Future Food Now were chosen from six finalists who pitched their ideas to a panel of experts and potential investors at the 19th World Congress of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) in Mumbai, India.
GAIN is part of the consortium led by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI) selected by USAID to improve nutrition for women and children in low- and middle-income countries around the globe. The five-year programme will bring together international and local organisations from various sectors and different disciplines to design, implement, and evaluate activities that combat malnutrition.
We at GAIN like to think of ourselves as a learning organisation and I invited our staff to tell us about the standout thing from 2018 that they were reading that had meaning for their work, and to tell us why they chose it. Twenty-five of them responded and here are their contributions. Like our staff the selections embrace diversity. Enjoy, and keep being curious!
