DSM Launches Major Publication on Best Practices in Nutrition

19 Sep 2013 --- DSM launches ground-breaking new publication, The Road to Good Nutrition, at 20th International Congress of Nutrition. Part of DSM and Sight and Life’s Vitamins in Motion campaign, this new book brings together experience and insights of globally recognized experts in the field to forge collective action on malnutrition.

This major publication on best practices in nutrition is presented at the 20th International Congress of Nutrition in Granada, Spain. It is part of DSM’s Vitamins in Motion initiative, which highlights the critical role micronutrients play in health, wellness and disease prevention throughout the lifecycle and advocates for increased access to these essential vitamins.

Entitled ‘The Road to Good Nutrition: A global perspective’, this book tackles the wide-ranging issues related to nutrition and serves a broad audience. From stunting to food insecurity, from hidden hunger to obesity, the book puts the topic of nutrition security on the agenda of policy-makers, academics, private sector organizations and civil society, as well as of organizations dedicated to the nutrition space. It will also be of value to the educated lay reader who is generally well informed in matters of health, nutrition and sustainability.
 
Published by the Swiss-based scientific publisher Karger, ‘The Road to Good Nutrition: A global perspective’ explains that malnutrition is a phenomenon with many aspects, not all of them immediately apparent. Approximately a third of the world’s children face lifelong economic and social disadvantage because of poor nutrition during pregnancy and in the first two years of life. A significant proportion of these children are disadvantaged because of unbalanced diets that lead to obesity and its associated health challenges.
 
In his foreword to the book, Dr David Nabarro, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Food Security and Nutrition and Coordinator of the SUN (Scaling Up Nutrition) Movement, writes: “The Road to Good Nutrition brings together the experience and insights of globally recognized experts in the field of nutrition to create an in-depth introduction to the subject for the non-expert. My hope is that The Road to Good Nutrition will help us all to accelerate our progress along the path to a world where everyone receives the food and the nutrition to which they have a self-evident right.”
 
The Road to Good Nutrition was developed under the guidance of an editorial board led by Dr Manfred Eggersdorfer, SVP, DSM Nutrition Science and Advocacy. It draws especially on the insights of Dr Klaus Kraemer, Director of DSM’s nutrition think tank Sight and Life, and Dr Marie Ruel, Director, Poverty, Health and Nutrition Division, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington DC, USA. Dr Ruel contributed to the landmark 2013 Lancet series on Maternal and Child Nutrition. The editorial board also includes the following members: Marc Van Ameringen, Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN); Hans Konrad Biesalski, Head of Department, Biological Chemistry and Nutrition, University of Hohenheim ; Martin Bloem, Senior Nutritionist and WFP’s Global Coordinator UNAIDS – United Nations World Food Program; Junshi Chen, Senior Research Professor, Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China; Asma Lateef, Director, Bread for the World Institute, Washington DC,USA,and Venkatesh Mannar, President of the Micronutrient Initiative.
 
The Road to Good Nutrition will be of interest to all major players in the field of nutrition. It puts the topic of nutrition security on the agenda of policy-makers, academics, private sector organizations and civil society, as well as of organizations dedicated to the nutrition space. It will also be of value to the educated lay reader who is generally well informed in matters of health, nutrition and sustainability.
 
The Road to Good Nutrition serves as a call to concerted action—functioning as a guidebook for those wishing to find out more about this topic, and encouraging readers to take an active part in this global journey themselves. The book summarizes the progress and commitments made to date, and outlines the road ahead to ensure all people receive the basic human right to good nutrition.
 
Patrick Webb, Dean for Academic Affairs, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, USA, comments: “This book represents a rallying cry. It is a call to action to address a massive unfinished global agenda. Undernutrition in all its forms is still responsible for almost half of the world’s child mortality. Other malnourished children survive, but they cannot thrive. The Road to Good Nutrition pulls together the latest evidence on underlying causes and priority solutions. It demands to be widely read, and its findings deserve to be taken very seriously.”
 
Professor Webb’s judgment is echoed by Marie Ruel, who observes: “The Road to Good Nutrition provides an in-depth and broad overview of the critical challenges we are facing in nutrition today. It should help policy makers and development practitioners make more informed choices about priorities and actions to accelerate progress in achieving nutrition for all in the near future.”
 
The full text of The Road to Good Nutrition and its executive summary may be downloaded from www.vitaminsinmotion.com