Food science

This manual is targeted at personnel who are working at a district level and could play a role in combating malnutrition.

Undernutrition underlies more than one in three childhood deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa. In South Africa one in four children are stunted and one in three have Vitamin A deficiency. Growth monitoring and promotion (GMP) has the potential to prevent much undernutrition and to integrate the care of a child. It is central to the Governments Integrated Nutrition Programme (INP), and other childhood programmes such as the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI). At a community level, GMP can also be a powerful tool for increasing community awareness of undernutrition and mobilising their action.

Like health, good nutrition is the outcome of many and multiple factors. Nutrition is affected by the policies and activities of numerous sectors, including agriculture, finance, health, education, water and environmental affairs and welfare. That is why problems of poor nutrition in South African communities need to be addressed in a comprehensive and integrated manner, and a previous editorial has argued for leadership from the Health Ministry in developing a common national strategy for good nutrition in South Africa.