DSM - USAID Partnership to Meet Nutritional Challenges of Developing World

The initial focus of the collaboration will be on rice fortification; achievement of the nutrition objectives as part of Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, and the United States Global Health Initiative.

1/31/2011 --- Royal DSM N.V., the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company headquartered in the Netherlands, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) jointly announce that they will collaborate and collectively work to meet the nutritional challenges presented in the developing world.

DSM and USAID expect to leverage their respective competencies, expertise, products and services to support collaborative activities focused on meeting the micronutrient needs of populations in the developing world. DSM and USAID have executed a Memorandum of Understanding for this collaboration, which was signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The initial focus of the collaboration will be on rice fortification; achievement of the nutrition objectives as part of Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, and the United States Global Health Initiative; support of the 1,000 days efforts to help countries jumpstart the Scaling Up Nutrition Road Map with the support of other development partners. In addition, DSM will provide input to USAID’s Office of Food For Peace in order to help improve nutritional value, quality, shelf life, and methods for testing food aid commodities.

“We are witnessing an unparalleled opportunity right now for innovative, large-scale private sector partnerships to achieve significant impact on global hunger and nutrition. USAID is proud to build this new partnership with DSM, the world’s largest manufacturer of micronutrients and vitamins. Together we can improve childhood nutrition in countries that depend on rice as a staple crop,” USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah said.

Feike Sijbesma, CEO/Chairman of the DSM Managing Board, said: “Building on our longstanding and successful collaboration with the United Nation’s World Food Programme (WFP) we look forward to working closely with USAID. Together we can reach even more people to further combat hidden hunger. DSM has been playing an active role in the fight against micronutrient deficiencies for many years, contributing scientific know-how and technical expertise to help improve the nutritional status of people in need. Our innovative solutions range from staple food fortification to tailor-made products for specific target groups. This collaboration with USAID shows our deep commitment to public-private partnerships as a key element in dealing with nutritional challenges in the developing world. ”

USAID is an independent U.S. federal government agency. It is the lead international development agency for the United States and receives foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. USAID is engaged in development assistance in over 80 countries world-wide and disburses approximately USD 14 billion in foreign assistance each year to build human and institutional capacity in developing countries. USAID focuses on finding solutions to the issues of food security and global hunger in the developing world through both country-specific and sector-wide programs.

DSM is the only global company that integrates single vitamins and premixes in ideal formulations for targeting developing-country beneficiaries with innovative solutions such as Nutririce – a fortified rice kernel created from broken rice kernels, and MixMe, a micronutrient powder for home fortification which has been widely adopted through WFP and other agencies in emergencies worldwide. DSM maintains a successful partnership with the WFP to improve the nutritional value of products in WFP’s ‘food basket’ and has received numerous awards for its work in finding sustainable solutions to micronutrient deficiency, including awards from the Global Alliance For Improved Nutrition and the 2010 World Business Development Award from the ICC. Feike Sijbesma received the 2010 Humanitarian of the Year Award from the United Nations Association of New York.