2.7 pct of GDP lost due to consuming non fortified foods - IPPmedia

Tanzania could save 815bn/- in revenue which is lost annually due to lack of vitamins and minerals among its people, Obey Assery, the director of coordination of government business in the Prime Minister’s Office has said.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday at the opening of a seminar on food fortification to journalists, Assery said the money lost is equivalent to 2.65 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
The seminar was organised by the Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre (TFNC) and supported by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) through Hellen Keller International.

In a speech read on his behalf by the TFNC acting Director General Benedict Kyeje, Assery said that such amount of money is lost due to treatment which is avoidable.

“If all people were consuming vitamin and mineral as prescribed by nutrition officials, such problem would be minimised or alleviated,” he observed.

 As a result, he said, lac k of vitamins and minerals have contributed to increased death among children and reduce economic growth.

According to Tanzania Demographic Health Survey (TDHS) 2012,  among women of child bearing age, micronutrient malnutrition is a dominant feature, with 40 percent of them anemic, 36 percent iodine deficient, 30 percent iron deficient and 37 percent Vitamin A deficient.

He encouraged Tanzanians to consume fortified food products as stipulated by the government for their health benefits.

He noted that fortification efforts in Tanzania started in 1998 with an assessment mission supported by the American government with a focus on vitamin A.

A series of fortification related initiatives has been going on since then and among key milestones realised include formation of the National Fortification Alliance (NFFA) development of national fortification action plan, selection of three staples to be fortified namely wheat flour, maize flour and edible oil.< /p>

He said the government also gazetted regulations that make fortification mandatory in Tanzania, including fortification standards.

“We are committed to ensure food security in the country and to upscale nutrition through various decisive measures,” he said.
In this regard, he said the government signed the Global Scaling Up Nutrition Movement in June last year and has taken necessary critical steps for curbing malnutrition.

Speaking earlier, Community Health and Nutrition Specialist Dr Sabas Kimboka, said they would continue to educate public on the importance of consuming fortified foods for development.

He encouraged Tanzanians to eat balanced diet, drink water and avoid drinking alcohol which is a threat to their health.
However he revealed that the health status of many people in the country has improved as compared to few years ago due to various government initiatives.