Danone SN Indonesia makes a positive contribution to improving the health and nutritional intake of children in the pandemic through research and technology in providing nutritious products
Jakarta, July 9, 2020 - Indonesian Danone Specialized Nutrition (Danone SN) together with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) collaborated on technology and products to produce nutritional supplementation products "AITAMIE" and "PROBARZ", which are food products that are fortified from resources and locally produced with technology and to produce nutritional supplementation products "AITAMIE" and "PROBARZ", are food products that are fortified from resources and are locally produced with the aim is to help increase the nutritional intake of underprivileged families, especially children in the recovery phase of a pandemic. In this collaboration, Danone SN also collaborated with Foodbank of Indonesia (FOI) to distribute nutritional assistance free of charge to a number of children in need and affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the condition of the COVID-19 pandemic, the issue of nutrition in Indonesia needs special attention, especially for vulnerable groups such as children. In addition, Indonesia also still faces challenges of malnutrition, especially stunting, where the last prevalence in Indonesia based on the results of the Indonesia Toddler Nutrition Status Survey 2019 (SSGBI) shows 27.67%, or it can be said that every 10 children there are 3 of them who have stunted . The figure is certainly still above that required by the World Health Organization (WHO) which is at least 20%. This is certainly quite alarming, because due to the COVID-19 outbreak, children suffering from malnutrition in Indonesia have the potential to increase. In fact, besides having a role in meeting the nutritional needs and growth and development of children, daily nutrition can affect a child's health condition and determine the future of the Indonesian nation.
Arif Mujahidin, Corporate Communication Director of Danone Indonesia said, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, with strong belief in the power of science and nutrition to have a positive impact on people's lives, Danone SN worked with various parties to take initiatives to provide them with access to nutrition. requiring. One of them is by collaborating with LIPI to produce and donate quality and science-based nutritional products that are in accordance with the needs of the community. " Arif Mujahidin further revealed that his party supports the LIPI's step in contributing expertise and knowledge to jointly face and deal with the impact of this pandemic. "We welcome this collaboration as a collaborative effort among stakeholders in Indonesia in handling nutrition problems in the midst of this pandemic. We hope that this collaboration can continue so that it can benefit more parties.
"As a Danone SN partner in implementing programs to develop special nutritional products based on research and science, Dr. Ainia Herminiati, ST., M.Sc., Associate Researcher in Food and Nutrition Expertise, Center for Appropriate Technology Research (P2TTG), Institute of Science Knowledge of Indonesia (LIPI), said, "The economic impact at the household level greatly affects the fulfillment of children's basic needs, namely food. Child nutrition problems are one of the socio-economic impacts on children in Indonesia caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, where 24 million toddlers are at higher risk of experiencing malnutrition or malnutrition during the pandemic, there is a need for essential nutrient-rich commodities for children that can support their nutritional needs for at least two months. and the government to collaborate with each other to support the availability of access to nutritious products for Indonesian children. " Furthermore, Dr. Ainia Herminiati, ST., M.Sc., said, "We from LIPI are very pleased to be able to collaborate with Danone SN, especially the program to develop nutritional supplementation products in an effort to improve the nutrition of Indonesian children. One form of collaboration that we undertake with Danone SN is to produce nutritional supplementation products "AITAMIE" and "PROBARZ" based on research and technology intended for children aged over one year so their nutritional needs can be met. "
The two nutritional supplementation products created by the collaboration of Danone SN and LIPI are food products that can support the nutritional needs of children. PROBARZ is a snack bar type food product made from bananas, milk, eggs and gluten-free ingredients specially formulated according to the needs recommended for children to be able to meet nutritional needs during disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, AITAMIE is a food product that contains high fiber and protein, contains beta carotene, is free of preservatives and without synthetic dyes and is made from high quality local commodities such as: processed corn flour, mocaf flour, tempe flour and rice flour. AITAMIE is also suitable for children who avoid gluten-containing foods because this product is gluten-free. Hendro Utomo, Founder of Foodbank of Indonesia said, "Strengthening food is important because there are many FOI findings in the field that indicate that vulnerable people are still hampered by access to food, especially in infants due to economic constraints and parenting. For this reason, we continue to work through cooperation with various parties in helping to reduce the problem of nutrition and hunger in infants in the midst of this pandemic. With the assistance of local food-based nutritional supplementation products resulting from the collaboration of Danone SN and LIPI, it is hoped that new hopes can arise for vulnerable groups of people, namely children, in dealing with this outbreak. This assistance also simultaneously opens access to food through diversification as an effort to prevent transmission of COVID-19 in Indonesia. "
As a company focused on developing nutritional products based on research and science and contributing to long-term health, Danone in Indonesia is committed to providing assistance worth Rp 30 billion in COVID-19 countermeasures in Indonesia. Assistance has been channeled through collaboration with various institutions including government agencies, private and community social organizations. Danone SN wants to continue to support the development of healthy children through scientific approaches. "We do not want Indonesian children to be left behind simply because of a lack of intake and access to nutritious food, especially during this pandemic. To that end, we are committed to supporting the government in controlling the spread of this pandemic with whatever we can do, including by supporting the fulfillment of food needs for vulnerable people in getting good nutrition so that they can grow and develop in accordance with their potential, " closed Arif Mujahidin.
