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Fish snacks effective to treat severe acute malnutrition among children in Cambodia: research

Xinhua, February 22, 2017 Adjust font size:

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)to Cambodia said on Wednesday that a new research result found that fish snacks are effective to treat and prevent malnutrition among children in Cambodia.

Fish snacks were designed using locally available ingredients through collaboration between the Cambodian Department of Fisheries Post-harvest Technologies and Quality Control, UNICEF and French Research Institute for Development, said a UNICEF press release.

The snacks have been produced by Vissot, a company certified by the Ministry of Health to produce micronutrient-enriched local food products, the press release said, adding that the snacks have two distinctive food supplement products: a therapeutic food to treat severe acute malnutrition among children and a snack to prevent malnutrition among children.

Malnutrition among children is still prominent in Cambodia, with 32 percent of under-five children stunted, 10 percent acutely malnourished, and 24 percent underweight, it said.

Malnutrition causes approximately 4,500 child deaths annually, which accounts for roughly one third of all child deaths in Cambodia, it added.

"Good nutrition at the start of a child's life from conception until he or she reaches two years old sets a solid foundation for the child's healthy growth and their intellectual and physical development," said Debora Comini, UNICEF representative to Cambodia.

"Improving nutrition among children will yield long-lasting benefits, including economic benefits, not only for the children themselves but for the entire society," she said.

Fish is contributing to more than 80 percent of total animal protein intake of Cambodian households, said Frank Wieringa of the French Research Institute for Development, adding that animal-source foods are vital for improving micronutrient status and growth.

"While milk and other dairy ingredients are expensive in Cambodia because they are imported, making them unsuitable as the main protein source for a locally manufactured snack, fish is abundant and is cheap. We want to introduce a product that is easily affordable for poor families," he said. Enditem