Heinz Micronutrient Campaign

Heinz is devoted to the health and wellness of our consumers, but we also recognize a responsibility to work with governments and non-governmental organizations to help all children around the globe grow up strong and healthy. That is why the H. J. Heinz Company has committed to provide free micronutrient assistance to 10 million children by 2010 through our Foundation and the voluntary contributions of our employees and partners.

More than two billion people, or roughly one-third of the world’s population, are malnourished. Those most at risk are young children in impoverished countries.

Sadly, many of these children do not have enough food to eat, while others rely heavily on a diet of corn, rice, or wheat that lacks micronutrients — essential vitamins and minerals found in fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat.

From a public health viewpoint, micronutrient malnutrition is a major concern because it is a risk factor for many other diseases and can ultimately contribute to death¹. Iron and Vitamin A deficiencies are two of the top 15 causes of disease² and micronutrient malnutrition is responsible for over half of the child deaths that occur around the globe each year. This can be prevented³.

According to the World Health Organization, the three most common forms of micronutrient malnutrition are iron, vitamin A and iodine deficiencies. These deficiencies can increase childbirth mortality rates, lower resistance to disease, and impair growth and cognitive development.

Compounding that health impact, a recent World Bank report determined that micronutrient malnutrition also perpetuates poverty and costs deprived countries of as much as 3% of their yearly gross domestic product.

The good news is that malnutrition can be prevented. In fact, death rates of children under the age of five are dropping. But at Heinz, we believe they are not dropping fast enough. That is why Heinz helped develop a solution that can drastically reduce the global surge of malnutrition.

Our Heinz Micronutrient Campaign (HMC) focuses on the most at-risk populations in underdeveloped nations, where nearly 750 million young children are affected.

We know that iron supplementation has been proven to improve cognitive function, school performance and the ability to work. It also can reduce the risk of mortality among severely anemic individuals. Vitamin A supplementation is also important, as it can reduce child mortality rates and prevent blindness and other eye disorders. Iodine supplementation is also essential, as it can help prevent brain damage and mental retardation in children, and can reduce risks of stillbirth and low-birth-weight infants⁴.

Since 2001, when Heinz first pledged its support to Dr. Stanley Zlotkin of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children and his development of Sprinkles,™ more than 1.2 million children in Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, Mongolia, and elsewhere have benefited from the Heinz Micronutrient Campaign.

According to Dr. Zlotkin’s research, children who received Sprinkles™ showed marked improvement in overall health. They experienced increases in appetite and physical activity levels, slept better, and were more playful.

Through Project Mayang in Indonesia, Heinz has provided more than 44 million sachets of Vitalita™ micronutrients to children.

¹ Guidelines on food fortification with micronutrients, World Health Organization and Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, 2006.
² Codex Alimentarius – Food labeling – Complete texts. Rome, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2001.
³ Millennium Development Goals; Reduce Child Mortality, Canadian International Development Agency, www.acdi-cida.gc.ca.
⁴ Guidelines on food fortification with micronutrients, World Health Organization and Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, 2006

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