Food companies can help solve malnutrition

MANILA, Philippines - Corporations can help solve malnutrition in the Philippines. This was the message of Mario Capanzana, head of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, which is under the Department of Science and Techno­logy.

Capanzana was one of the speakers during the Creating Shared Value (CSV) Forum held recently at the New World Hotel in Makati City. Representatives of government, the business community, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other sectors attended the event.

Capanzana said food companies, NGOs, aid agencies and other sectors of society should invest resources in developing and pro­moting nutritious, safe and affordable food products for the public, especially for the poorest of the poor.

While the government is doing its part, he said it cannot do everything necessary to solve the problem of malnutrition.

Capanzana said there is an estimated 3.35 million Filipino children suffering from malnourishment. To address this, he suggested a three-fold solution: aim to produce approximately 251 metric tons per day of complementary food made from protein-rich ingredients; invest in an adequate amount of manpower, machine, and materials to produce these food products; and establish strategically located stations where the food products are distributed, prioritizing the areas that need them the most.

Capanzana said the diet of many Filipinos is deficient in essential nutrients such as vitamin A, iron, and iodine — a deficiency usually caused by either lack of knowledge of basic nutrition or poverty.

This is why Capanzana suggested that food companies include fortification in making their food products. Fortification is the adding of one or more nutrients, vitamins and minerals into food products, allowing consumers to get nutrients that they would otherwise lack.

Capanzana said the FNRI does its own research in developing fortified food products and is more than willing to share this research and the actual products with food companies.

“Sharing best practices with business partners is a paramount way for companies and the government to succeed in increasing economic opportunity and improving the health and nutrition of the public,” he said.

The CSV Forum’s main speaker, Harvard professor and social responsibility expert Mark Kramer, defined Creating Shared Value in this way: “Shared Value (in the context of business) means policies and practices that enhance the competitiveness of a company while simultaneously advancing economic and social conditions in the communities in which it operates.”

Capanzana said the government and food companies should work together to achieve shared value with communities: government identifies areas where nutritional needs are most urgent, while both government and companies can work together to produce fortified foods and ensure their distribution, availability and accessibility.

In this way, he said communities reap benefits of good health and proper nutrition, while corporations gain profits and competitive advantage.

“The government plays a crucial role in the relationship between businesses and society by overseeing and implementing laws and guidelines that would complement good nutritional practices,” Capanzana said.

Capanzana acknowledged that Nestlé has been at the forefront in the promotion of good nutritional practices in the country through its various CSV efforts primarily through the development of food products that are nutritionally beneficial to the public.

Kramer also lauded Nestlé’s CSV program related to nutrition in his presentation. “Nestlé is gaining competitive advantage by increasing nutrition and decreasing unhealthy ingredients in thousands of food products each year — aiming for 40 percent reductions in fat, salt and sugar while maintaining taste preferences over competing items by at least 60 percent of customers. (Nestlé has) specialized nutritional products for populations at different ages and with different incomes,” he said.