A sprinkle a day keeps anaemia at bay

Stanley Zlotkin, the Canadian scientist who developed Sprinkles, a nutritional supplement to reduce anaemia in infants and young children, recalls the moment in Mongolia when he decided to take the idea global.

Sprinkles
are a blend of powdered micronutrients packed in sachets - like small
packets of sugar - that are easily sprinkled onto foods. "Any homemade
food can be instantly fortified by adding Sprinkles: coating the iron
prevents changes to the taste, colour or texture of the food to which
Sprinkles are added,"

"Vitamin
and mineral deficiencies (VMD) - also known as hidden hunger - are
widely recognised as a serious public health problem. Over 750 million
children worldwide ... suffer from VMD, with roughly half of child
deaths associated with malnutrition," he said.

Iron deficiency
is the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in the world,
according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).