Home

 

Lucy Liu is teaming up with the Heinz Micronutrient Campaign to combat the widespread global health threat of iron deficiency anemia and vitamin and mineral malnutrition among infants and children in the developing world.

Since 2001, 3 million children in 15 developing countries have received life-changing vitmain and mineral powders through the Heinz Micronutrient Campaign. As the program's growth accelerates, it is expanding to reach children in North America and Africa for the first time, with the goal of reaching 1 million additional children this year.




Make a Difference

The Heinz Micronutrient Campaign is combating the global health threat of iron deficiency anemia in the developing world through the development and distribution of vitamin and mineral powders, in partnership with numerous government agencies and non-governmental organizations around the world.


Iron Deficiency: A Global Pandemic

Iron deficiency is the most widespread global health challenge. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 2 billion people – nearly a third of the world’s population -- are iron deficient. Most of these children also lack other essential vitamins and minerals in their daily diet, which are necessary for healthy growth and development. The consequences of iron deficiency and other vitamin and mineral malnutrition are devastating, including permanently impaired intellectual development, stunted physical growth, blindness, and impaired immune system development, which leads to chronic disease and even death.

Vitamin and Mineral Powders: A Proven Solution

The HMC since 2001 has been a pioneer in supporting the development of vitamin and mineral powders.

What are Micronutrient Powders (MNPs)?

 

  • MNPs are a multi-vitaminblend, including iron, zinc, Vitamin A, folic acid that promote the healthy growth and development of children
  • The 1-gram sachets are mixed into a child’s normal food and they do not change the food’staste or texture
  • A regimen of 60 sachets administered over a 3-4 month period
  • They are approved by UNICEF and the World Health Organization as a cost-effective treatment for iron deficiency
  • At a cost of a little more than two cents per sachet, a child’s micronutrient needs for a year can be met for $1.50, or less than a morning cup of coffee

The Heinz Micronutrient Campaign relies on partners to help in the distribution of its vitamin and mineral powders, the education and training of health workers and for project monitoring and evaluation. One of those partners is Helen Keller International (HKI). H. J. Heinz Company Chairman, President and CEO William R. Johnson received the inaugural HKI International Global Visionary Award in 2006, from three-time Academy Award-winning actress, Meryl Streep.

The HMC in China

 

The Heinz Micronutrient Campaign is collaborating with the China Ministry of Health on a two-year program designed to reach a half-million children in four rural provinces. A new micronutrient powder, Heinz NurtureMate™, was developed by the R&D team of Heinz China to provide increased heat tolerance for mothers who choose to mix the powders into warm beverages for their children. At the end of 2010, the project partners will evaluate how to scale the project to reach more children in these provinces, as well as to reach new provinces.

The HMC in India

 

Following on a successful demonstration project in Maharashtra state in 2008 that reached 15,000 children, the Health Ministry of the State of Tamil Nadu approached Heinz about launching a project. The Heinz Micronutrient Campaign and the health ministry agreed to execute a project to reach 240,000 children aged 2-5 years in the spring and summer of 2010. The program could be scaled in the second half of the year to reach hundreds of thousands more children.

The HMC in Tanzania

 

The Company Foundation has partnered with Sokoine University of Agriculture in Morogoro on a pilot project to test a new, lower iron-dose formula of NurtureMate™ in malaria-prone areas. The Foundation is also helping the University develop its capacity for a vitamin and mineral-fortified, bean-based powder designed for more severely malnourished children. Based on the successes of these projects, the Heinz Micronutrient Campaign hopes to reach more children in Tanzania and elsewhere in Africa, where the need for vitamin and mineral supplementation is overwhelming.