MALNUTRITION

Two billion people in the world suffer from various forms of

malnutrition.1
Malnutrition is an underlying cause of death of 2.6 million children

each year a third of child deaths globally.2,3

1 in 4 of the worlds children are stunted 4; in developing countries this

is as high as one in three.5 This means their bodies fail to develop fully
as a result of malnutrition.
Undernutrition accounts for 11 per cent of the global burden of disease
and is considered the number one risk to health worldwide.

Economic impact

Adults who were malnourished as children earn at least 20% less on

average than those who werent. 6

Countries may lose two to three percent of their Gross Domestic

Product (GDP) as a result of iron, iodine, and zinc deficiencies. 7

Estimates show annual investments of US$ 347 million to provide

micronutrients to 80 percent of the worlds malnourished would yield

US$ 5 billion in improved earnings and healthcare spending. 7
It is calculated that each dollar spent on nutrition delivers between US$
8 and US$138 of benefits.

Micronutrient deficiencies

It is estimated half of anaemia cases are due to iron

deficiency.9 Almost half of children in low- and middle-income

countries 47% of under-fives are affected by anaemia, impairing
cognitive and physical development.10 Iron is a key component of
micronutrient blends which are used in large-scale and targeted
fortification programs.
Iodine deficiency is the greatest single cause of mental
retardation and brain damage. It can easily be prevented by
adding iodine to salt. 11 Between 1990 and 2009, the number of
households consuming iodized salt rose from 20% to 70%.
Coincidently, the number of countries in which iodine-deficiency
disorders were considered a public health concern reduced by 43%
between 1993 and 2007. 12

Vitamin A deficiency causes early childhood blindness and

increases the severity of infections and anaemia. It affects an

estimated 190 million pre-school aged children, and 19 million
pregnant and breastfeeding women globally. Vitamin A can be added to
cooking oil as well as wheat and maize flour. It is also included in
micronutrient powders. 13
Zinc deficiency affects childrens health and physical growth; it
is also essential for mothers during pregnancy. It is estimated to cause
4% of deaths in pre-school aged children in lower-income
countries. 5 Zinc supplementation improves growth in stunted children
and can be included in wheat flour, maize flour or rice.

GAINs mission
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is an alliance driven by the vision of a
world without malnutrition.
Created in 2002 at a Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Children, GAIN
supports public-private partnerships to increase access to the missing nutrients in diets
necessary for people, communities and economies to be stronger and healthier.
In less than a decade, GAIN has been able to scale its operations by working in
partnership with governments and international agencies, and through projects involving
more than 600 companies and civil society organisations in more than 30 countries,
reaching an estimated 667 million people with nutritionally enhanced food products.
About half of the beneficiaries are women and children. GAINs goal is to reach 1 billion
people with foods that have sustainable nutritional impact.
GAIN is a Swiss foundation headquartered in Geneva with a special international status
granted by the Swiss government. Its worldwide presence includes country offices in
Abuja, Accra, Addis Ababa, Dhaka, Kabul, Jakarta, Nairobi, and New Delhi. It also has
representative offices in Amsterdam, London, Singapore and Washington D.C.
The cornerstones of GAINs programs
Scalability. GAIN has made nutritious foods available to an estimated 667 million
people.
Sustainability. Creating enabling environments for on-going production and
availability of nutritious foods.
Innovation. Developing creative concepts that bring nutritious foods into the markets

of developing economies.
Partnerships. Providing a multi-stakeholder platform for more than 600 partners,
inspiring 50 collaborations in over 30 countries.
Impact. For example, a GAIN-supported partnership measured a 30 percent
decrease in neural tube defects in South Africa after folic acid was added to maize meal
and wheat flour.