US Plans To Spend Big On Global Nutrition

The United States expects to spend nine billion dollars on global nutrition through 2014, hoping to reduce stunted growth in children  in roughly 19 low-resource countries. A report released by Lancet on June 5 gave an in-depth evaluation of the problems in malnourished, impoverished countries.

Dr. Rajiv Shah, an administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development, signed a Global Nutrition for Growth Compact on June 8, and expects that by increasing breast feeding for children and providing mothers with zinc supplements, the United States aims to help feed 500 million pregnant women and children under the age of two in order to avert 20 million cases of stunted growth and 1.7 million deaths. President Obama addressed and announced this approach earlier in 2013, stating that the program will also include vouchers to purchase food where US food cannot be distributed.

These plans for nutrition and agriculture are expected to be further discussed in Northern Ireland during mid-June at the conference for the Group of 8 Major Economies.