Published 4 November 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b4482
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b4482

Feature

Global Health

Commercial solutions to malnutrition

¹ Southeast Asia

doi:10.1136/bmj.b4490

Big business in Bangladesh is at the centre of a drive to reduce rates of malnutrition, but is this an appropriate public health measure, and will it make any more than a dent in the problem? Ben Bland reports

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child malnutrition in the world, but with the government and international organisations unable to come up with a unified strategy, progress has been limited. Now the government and non-governmental organisations are looking to work with business in an attempt to find cost effective and scaleable solutions to an enduring problem that is putting great pressure on the country’s overstretched health system and underperforming economy.

With initial funding from the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), a Geneva based foundation that fosters public-private partnerships to treat malnutrition, and support from several key players in the domestic development sector, some of Bangladesh’s biggest businesses are launching new fortified food products designed to reduce rates of micronutrient malnutrition across the country. Those involved believe that food fortification and micronutrient supplementation can be a cost effective way to help large numbers of people who are not . . . [Full text of this article]

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Reducing the burden of malnutrition in Bangladesh

Tahmeed Ahmed and A M Shamsir Ahmed
BMJ 2009 339: b4490. [Extract] [Full Text]

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Sprinkling the landscape for years to come?

Gabriele Pollara
bmj.com, 10 Nov 2009 [Full text]

Breastfeeding in Bangladesh: national asset, national neglect

Khurshid Talukder, et al.
bmj.com, 12 Nov 2009 [Full text]

Online poll

Find out more>>