Effaa's Nutritious Survival Health Food for Refugee Camps

The number and size of emergencies are escalating at an alarming rate and the number of people affected is greater than ever before. In many famine and conflict affected countries relief projects may now reach anything from 10 to 40 percent of the population. In financial terms, food assistance is the single most important response of the international community to current emergencies. The growing scale of emergencies resulted in a doubling in the demand for emergency food aid in the last three decades has reversed the relative importance of food aid for emergencies compared with food aid for development. The vast majority of emergency food aid and food aid for protracted refugee and displaced persons operations is distributed in Sub-Saharan Africa.

UN has told on several occassions that Gross energy deficits have contributed to high levels of acute malnutrition, particularly in the acute stage of an emergency. Severe malnutrition carries a higher relative risk of mortality. In a poor health environment, the risk associated with moderate malnutrition may also be increased, due to the combination of malnutrition and disease, which means an increase in the rate of malnutrition results in a quantitatively higher mortality. Studies of the acute stages of a refugee emergency, where populations are totally dependent on outside imbalanced food assistance and living in camp situations with poor health environments, have shown a clear relationship between inadequate rations, malnutrition and mortality.

In addition, fatal vitamin and mineral deficiencies have occurred as a result of inadequate rations in many of the affected African nations. Vitamin A deficiency (xeropthalmia), iron deficiency anaemia and iodine deficiency (goitre) are recognized as the three most significant micro nutrient deficiency diseases worldwide. Given the endemicity of these deficiency diseases in less developed countries, they are to be expected among food insecure populations unless appropriate action is taken. In contrast to these endemic deficiency diseases, other micro nutrient deficiency diseases, including scurvy (Vitamin C deficiency), pellagra (niacin deficiency) and beri beri (thiamine deficiency), had been virtually eradicated until they reemerged among refugee populations during the past decade.

Given the fatal consequences of failure in consumption of a well balanced and nutritious meal by refugees & displaced people in troubled and famine struck zones, Effaa has come up with a pre cooked and ready to eat Effaa's Nutritious Survival meal replacement mix. Our nutritious and well balanced Survival Food fortified with vitamins and minerals can be conveniently consumed as a palatable paste or porridge by all affected people by just mixing it with water.

Effaa's Ready to eat Nutritional Survival Health Mix fortified with vitamins and minerals finds use in the following types of emergencies as distinguished for WFP purposes:

1. Sudden natural disasters, e.g. earthquakes, floods, tropical storms.
2. Food scarcities due to drought or crop failure.
3. Population displacements, e.g. refugees, internally displaced

Introduction :

This mix is a substitute for breakfast , lunch and dinner and provides the necessary energy and nutrition to a common man.

Ingredients :

Maize, Wheat, Soya bean or Bengal Gram, Sugar, Vitamins & Minerals premix.

Nutritional Information :

Protein- 8.5 to 10.5gm, Energy-380 K.Cal, Calcium-200mg, Iron-14mg, Vitamin A-300mcg, Vitamin B1-0.7mg, Vitamin B2-0.8mg, Niacin-9mg, Vitamin B12-0.5mcg, Vitamin C-20mg, Folic acid-50mcg.

Method of Preparation:

Take one part of our powder in a clear bowl and add 3 parts of hot water to make a paste or porridge and consume