| dc.description.abstract | Thirty percent of the world's population is affected by vitamin A, iron and most of them live in Asia and Pacific region. These deficiencies collectively damage health, cause death, harm reproduction, reduce intelligence, academic achievement, and lower work productivity and occupational choices; which increase the cost for therapeutic health care, remedial education, custodial care for cretins, limited occupational choices, and care for motherless children. Nutrition is an important feature in human quality, which is an essential goal of economic development. The road to regional health and life-long productivity cannot be passed without removing the obstacle of micro nutrient malnutrition. therefore, government should concern and commit to enhancing educating and productivity. strategist to achieve these objectives include reducing malnutrition early in life no reduce chronic adult disease, support safe motherhood, and sustain economic growth through human capital improvement. all the governments in the Asia and Pacific region endorsed the commitment expressed at the World Summit for Children that several forms of micro nutrient malnutrition should be eliminated by 2000; yet the reality is far from that goal. partnership with the private sector offer the possibility achieving the goal by 2010 Food fortification, which an essential element in national food policies in Asian and Pacific countries to ensure nutrition security for all citizens, is cost effective and sustainable nutrition intervention. Cost effectiveness nutrition interventions are available and expressed in term of disability adjusted life years (DALYs), or healthy years of life saved. The cost for fortification of iron and vitamin A interventions is less than $25/DALY. ADB and UNICEF worked with seven countries to develop 10 year investment programs on micro nutrients programs. The general conclusion was that malnutrition, with its insidious effects over the life span of the child, would cost the economy at least 3% the GDP, based on conservative assumption. The study estimated that productivity losses for manual laborers are up to 9% for moderate worked. Losses due to cognitive deficits for malnourished children were 4% for IDA and 10% for IDD. Public private partnership is urgently required for the success of food fortification. Social marketing for fortified foods should be a shared public-private responsibility. The private food industry has equality compelling reasons for shifting production to fortified foods if they are probable. raising product quality through fortification will stimulate demand for the products, and intensify competition and trade with and beyond the region. economic of scale for fortified foods, as competitors follow product leaders, will lower prices and enable new consumers to be reached. | en |
