USDA Awards First Micronutrient-Fortified Food Assistance Grant

The product is a dairy protein paste fortified with vitamins and is specially designed to boost the micronutrient intake of children aged 4 to 8.

Sep 23 2010 --- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA has selected the private-voluntary organization (PVO) International Partnership for Human Development (IPHD), Inc., to field test a micronutrient enriched product designed especially to boost nutrition in school-aged children in Guinea Bissau. IPHD is the first recipient under the Micronutrient-Fortified Food Aid Products Pilot Program (MFFAPP) and will receive $900,000 to develop and test its product.

"USDA is committed to alleviating hunger among the World's most vulnerable population small children," said Vilsack. "This grant will help IPHD further their efforts to feed more than 100,000 local school children daily and build on successes that have defined the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program since 2006."

Guinea Bissau is the third poorest country in the world according to the United Nations. The product is a dairy protein paste fortified with vitamins and is specially designed to boost the micronutrient intake of children aged 4 to 8. The product will not replace the children's daily meal prepared at school, but will serve as a morning snack consumed at the start of the school day.

Congress provided USDA with $10 million in fiscal year 2010 to develop and field test new and improved micronutrient-fortified products designed to meet the energy and nutrient needs of populations served by the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition (McGovern-Dole) Program. Micronutrient-fortified food products are nutritionally enhanced either through added vitamins or minerals to address the micronutrient deficiencies of a population or group.

In April 2010, USDA announced it was seeking proposals from PVOs and non-governmental and international organizations. Through this effort, USDA hopes to identify new products that would be readily available for distribution through the McGovern-Dole Program. The McGovern-Dole Program helps support education, child development, and food security in low-income, food-deficit countries that are committed to universal education. It provides for donations of U.S. agricultural products, as well as financial and technical assistance for school feeding and maternal and child nutrition projects and is administered by USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service.

USDA is still seeking proposals for the MFFAPP. An announcement on the new solicitation for this program will be forthcoming through the Federal Register and the FAS website.