Colombo: An international forum of many
Indian activists including doctors has expressed concern over
the supply of patented Plumpy' nut packets for the Tamil IDP
children in Wanni, saying its effects are yet to be
ascertained.
Plumpy' nut is a peanut-based food for use in famine
relief and was formulated in 1999 by a French Paediatric
nutritionist.
The forum, Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India
(BPNI), said the alternative high protein food was also
compromising on the Asian culture of cooked food besides the
unknown future effects of the concentrated food.
"We should realise that there is no use of water in this
and there are cooked substitutes in India and other countries
for this concentrated plumpy' nut," Dr K P Kushwaha, the Chief
of Training of BPNI told.
Dr Dinesh Khosla, the member of the central coordination
committee, has said the positive or negative effects of the
plumpy’ nut food for kids in the long run is yet to be found
as the concept is not very old.
He said the future availability of this food is also
uncertain.
While the UNICEF has maintained that peanut-based
Plumpy'nut therapeutic food has helped save the lives of
thousands of malnourished children, the "One Asia
Breastfeeding Partners Forum" says this has proved to be very
expensive cost wise.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, November 21, 2009, 14:48