2009 august nutritional conference new delhi

Global Conference onMeeting Nutritional Challengeswith Sustainability and Equity


2-3 August, 2009New Delhi, India2-3 August, 2009New Delhi, India

A Report

Organised by:

Planning CommissionGovernment of India

India

Supported by:

IhesInitiative for Health, Equity and Society

Third World NetworkNavdanya

In partnership with:

Child in Need Institute

Diverse Women for Diversity

Baby Milk Action-UK

Foodfirst Information and Action (FIAN)-India

International Commission on the Future of Food

Organised by:

Planning CommissionGovernment of India

India

Supported by:

IhesInitiative for Health, Equity and Society

Third World NetworkNavdanya

In partnership with:

Child in Need Institute

Diverse Women for Diversity

Baby Milk Action-UK

Foodfirst Information and Action (FIAN)-India

International Commission on the Future of Food



2-3 August, 2009New Delhi, India

A Report

2

Global Conference on Meeting Nutritional Challenges with Sustainability and Equity:AReport

ISBN: 978-81-88950-32-4

WRITTENAND EDITED BY:

DESIGNED BY:

PUBLISHED BY:

Mrs. Radha Holla Bhar and DrArun Gupta

Amit Dahiya

International Baby FoodAction Network (IBFAN),Asia/

Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI)

BP-33, Pitampura, Delhi 110 034, India

Tel: +91-11-27343608, 42683059

Tel/Fax: +91-11-27343606

Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Website: www.bpni.org, www.ibfanasia.org

3

CONTENTS

ABBREVIATIONS 4

BACKGROUND TO THE CONFERENCE 5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7

PEOPLE'S CHARTER FOR FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY 13

SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS 16

PROGRAMME 35

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS 37

PRESENTATIONS 41

4

ABBREVIATIONS

ACASH Association for ConsumersAction on Safety and Health

AGRA Alliance for the Green Revolution inAfrica

BMA Baby MilkAction

BMGF Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

BPNI Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India

CINI Child in Need Institute

CRC Convention of the Rights of the Child

CSR Corporate Social Responsibility

DWD Diverse Women for Diversity

FAO Food andAgriculture Organization

FIAN Foodfirst Information andAction

GAIN GlobalAlliance for Improved Nutrition

GMOs Genetically Modified Organisms

HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus

IBFAN International Baby FoodAction Network

ICDS Integrated Child Development Services

ICESCR International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

IHES Initiative for Health Equity and Society

IMR Infant Mortality Rate

IMSAct Infant Milk Substitutes Feeding Bottles, and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and

Distribution)Act 1992 as amended in 2003

IYCF Infant and Young Child Feeding

MDG Millennium Development Goal

MDM Mid-day Meal

MSF Médecins Sans Frontières

MSP Minimum Support Price

NGO Non-government Organisation

NREGA National Rural Employment GuaranteeAct

PDS Public Distribution System

PHC Primary Health Centre

PPPs Public Private Partnerships

PUCL Peoples Union for Civil Liberties

RUTF Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic Foods

SAM SevereAcute Malnutrition

SEZs Special Economic Zone

TRIPs Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights

TWN Third World Network

UN United Nations

UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund

WHO World Health Organization

WTO World Trade Organization

5

BACKGROUND TO THE CONFERENCE

An estimated 30,000 children die every day, mainly

from preventable and easily treatable causes. About

2/3rd of them die before they are a year old, and about

half before completing their first month. Under nutrition

is the underlying cause of over half of these deaths.

According to the Series on Maternal and Child

Under nutrition, today it is estimated that 13 million

children are born annually with Intra Uterine Growth

Retardation, 112 million are underweight and 178

million children under 5 years suffer from stunting, the

vast majority in south-central Asia and sub-Saharan

Africa. Of these, 160 million (90%) live in just 36

countries, representing almost half (46%) of the 348

million children in those countries.

As hunger grows, and malnutrition deepens

across the world, particularly among women and

children, food is increasingly becoming a tool of gaining

wealth and power. Globalization has led to a conflict

between food for health and nutrition and food as a

commodity for trade, resulting in undermining of our

right to food, its diversity and cultures. The answer to

hunger is increasingly being presented as a glamorized

quick fix - a mix of chemicals in the name of food, which

are being promoted by international organizations such

as UNICEF and WHO, and by large international NGOs

working across several countries. Little attention is

being paid to inequities that deny people access to

food.

Helping the rise of corporate food power is

reductionist science that reduces food into its chemical

components from breastmilk that allowed the human

race to flourish from its beginnings to artificial milks,

from butter and cream that provided us energy for

millennia to omega3 and other fatty acids, from millets

and cereals that gave us not just energy, but also

protein and trace elements to “artificial” food

fortification, from diversity of food that provides balance

to single crops that are being genetically engineered

merely to establish patent monopolies. There is also

aggressive marketing of processed and junk foods.

The chemicalisation of food as the answer to

hunger diverts attention away from the real causes of

hunger and malnutrition, and paves the way for short-

term remedies; remedies that have long-term health

implications and which destroy people's control over

decisions of what to eat and how to access it. The first

Millennium Development Goal (MDG) -1 is related to

reduction in poverty and thus to reduction in

malnutrition. MDG - 4 relates to reduction in the number

of deaths of children under 5, recognizing them as the

first victims of hunger. MDG-5 relates to improving

maternal health and reducing maternal mortality ratio.

Adequate and appropriate nutrition is an important

intervention to improve maternal health. There is

scientific evidence available on how to meet children's

and women's food needs optimally. The Right to Food

is increasingly being accepted as a Human Right, and

several nations are considering national legislations to

ensure this Right.

And as hunger persists in the face of plenty,

attempts are being made to eradicate it through

assigning a major role to the private sector through

public private partnerships and corporatisation of

agriculture.

The notion that profit-driven commercial interests

cannot be at the vanguard of equitable development

was first given concrete shape as the International

Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, adopted

by the 34th World Health Assembly on 21st May 1981.

This Code symbolized the coming together of civil

society and international organizations such as

UNICEF and WHO to meet the profit-driven industry in

a head-on collision course and stay to win. However,

today, PPPs have become the buzz word and are being

entered into by national governments to provide

packaged foods and biscuits to children as part of the

1

2

Lancet

1.

2.

Black R, Morris S, Bryce J. 2003. Where and why are 10 million children dying each year? Lancet 361:222634.

Executive Summary, Lancet Series on Maternal and Child Under nutrition,

6

fight against malnutrition in India, to run Anganwadis

(child nutrition and care centres) which are part of the

India's public nutrition and care scheme for children, to

fortify foods for public nutrition programmes to rectify

micronutrient deficiencies, to provide obstetric services

to pregnant women, and so on. These are being

presented as key interventions and strategic tools for

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Today, there is increasing recognition of the

intricate relationship between the realization of the right

to food with people's right to livelihoods and access to

work with dignity. In economies that are largely

dependent upon agriculture, agricultural policy and

technology and regulatory frameworks play a crucial

part in determining whether farming families can

access food or not. Policies and technologies that

distance farmers from their means of production land,

water, seed and erode their power to take decisions,

plunge whole communities into poverty, chronic hunger

and suicide, and pave the way for corporate takeover of

agriculture.

Today, when over a quarter of the world's children

are suffering from malnutrition, when over a quarter of

the world's people go to bed hungry, when 4 billion

people live on less than 2 US dollars (INR 100) a day, it

is imperative that sustainable solutions be found to

ensure people's right to food.

The International Baby Food Action Network

(Asia), Navdanya and Initiative for Health Equity and

Society/Third World Network organized a 2-day

with a focus on women and

children with the following objectives:

1. To understand the global and national causes of

hunger and malnutrition.

2. To evolve strategies to strengthen the Human Right

to food.

3. To share some models/programmatic successes

ensuring right to food towards ending hunger and

malnutrition.

4. To develop a People's Charter for Food and

Nutrition Security and to identify critical areas for

advocacy with governments and to adopt holistic

frameworks to eliminate hunger and malnutrition.

3

Global

Conference on Meeting Nutritional Challenges with

Sustainability and Equity

Objectives:

3.The theme of PPPs also includes the undermining of legally binding regulation in the name of corporate social responsibility CSR,

for example by the Global Compact

7

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The participants, who numbered more than 150, and

represented individual experts and 82 national and

international organizations and networks of mass-

based farmers organizations, food and health rights

based organizations, public health organizations,

people's groups working on issues of women and

children, public interest groups, examined the

- what it entails and how can it be met, highlighted

several critical areas that need political and

government attention more than ever and urgently.

These issues can be broadly classified under three

heads - , and

.

The , and its variations, is a human right

derived from the International Covenant on Economic,

Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The UN Special

Rapporteur on the right to food in 2002 defined it as

follows:

[...] the right to adequate food is realized when

every man, woman and child, alone or in community

with others, have the physical and economic access at

all times to adequate food or means for its

procurement.

The concept of “freedom from hunger” is

narrower than that of “right to adequate food” which is a

much higher standard, including not only absence of

malnutrition, but to the full range of qualities associated

with food, including safety, variety and dignity, in short

all those elements needed to enable an active and

healthy life.

The ICESCR recognises that the right to freedom

from hunger requires international cooperation, and

relates to matters of production, the agriculture and

global supply.Article 11 states that:

The States Parties to the present Covenant...

shall take, individually and through international co-

operation, the measures, including specific

programmes, which are needed: (a) To improve

methods of production, conservation and distribution of

food by making full use of technical and scientific

knowledge, by disseminating knowledge of the

principles of nutrition and by developing or reforming

agrarian systems in such a way as to achieve the most

efficient development and utilization of natural

resources; (b) Taking into account the problems of both

food-importing and food-exporting countries, to ensure

an equitable distribution of world food supplies in

relation to need.

The Right to Food is also embedded in the Right

to Health (Art. 12 of ICESCR), which covers not just

services, but also the underlying conditions and social

determinants that are essential to meet the right.

Malnutrition is one of the conditions specifically

mentioned as denying the right to health.

Art. 11 of ICESCR is a domestic right under the

Protection of Human Rights Act, which specifically

mentions that this is enforceable in India.

The Rights-based approach must define and

inform any legislation dealing with food and health. The

obligation of the government under its international

obligations is to respect, protect and fulfill human rights

which include the Right to Food. The Right to Food has

to be applied in a non-discriminatory manner as this is

immediately realizable; any legislation or policy or

schemes to meet people's Right to Food must be

universal. Issue of non-retrogression and adequate

progress means numbers benefiting under all schemes

to ensure the Right to Food must increase every year.

Participation (of empowered communities) is an

international legislation. Thus the process of creating

legislation or policy must go beyond Government and

Right to

Food

Food Security Food Safety Food

Sovereignty

right to food

Right to Food

Right to adequate food is a human right, inherent in all

people, to have regular, permanent and unrestricted

access, either directly or by means of financial

purchases, to quantitatively and qualitatively adequate

and sufficient food corresponding to the cultural

traditions of people to which the consumer belongs,

and which ensures a physical and mental, individual

and collective fulfilling and dignified life free of fear.

General Comment 12 of the ICESCR further states:

NGOs and proactively engage empowered

communities. Empowering means both making

scientific information available as well as involving

communities and their representatives in dialogue and

discussion.

The state bears the responsibility of meeting the food

needs of every person in the country, to ensure that not

one person goes to bed hungry.

A country can be considered food secure if it

provides adequate food at the individual level, the

household level, the community/village level, the

regional level and then the national level. That this is

possible has been borne out by the experience of

countries like Cuba and Venezuela.

Cuba, faced with US sanctions and economic

blockade, shifted from chemical and water intensive

monoculture of tobacco, sugar and other cash crops to

low-input self-reliant farming based on food crop

farming, animal draught power, and abandoning the

use of chemicals altogether. All available space,

including car parks and rubbish tips are used for

growing vegetables. The producers, especially of

vegetables, sell directly to the consumers who include

not just individual households, but schools, hospitals,

restaurants, etc. The food crisis has been met with

policies based on nutritional needs, equity and stability,

built upon people's wisdom. All children get one litre of

milk a day; older people also get milk, such as soy milk.

All work centres, schools, etc. have a cafeteria where a

person can get a meal against her/his ration card,

which is issued to individuals rather than to

households.

Venezuela has instituted land reforms,

systematically gone in for food production rather than

cash crops, and restricted the role of the corporate

sector in any aspect of food production and distribution.

This has led to a huge increase in the production of food

crops, especially rice and then corn. The country faces

malnutrition, and has created policies to ensure that

everyone has access to nutrition. Breastfeeding is

encouraged for the first six months of life; in schools, all

children have the right to get breakfast and lunch from

the state; there are neighbourhood-based programmes

for distribution of cooked food to the poor. The country

has made food sovereignty the cornerstone of its food

security policies - equitable land distribution, price

control of basic commodities (kept at a level that can be

accessed by the poor), direct producer to consumer

sales, neighbourhood markets for fresh vegetables

everyday. This subsidized food market - Mercal - also

includes public cafeterias where nutritious cooked food

is sold at low cost. The institutionalizing of food security

has made Venezuela one of the few countries that have

been able to cope with the rising international prices of

food.

Norway, which does not have a problem of

malnutrition and where agriculture accounts for only

3% of livelihood, also follows a protectionist policy, so

that its farmers are protected against loss of livelihood.

“Adequate food” means not just grains and

cereals, but balanced nutrition that can meet the needs

of people, including those with special needs and

engaged in various categories of work in different

stages in their life cycle. Proteins, especially animal

proteins, must form an essential part of the diet.

Hunger, malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies are

vulnerable to being exploited by the food industry,

which sees them as the new market for their products.

Food security needs to include not just adequate

stocks of grain in the godowns, enough diversity to

meet nutritional needs, and quantity to ensure that the

special needs of people in various categories in

different stages of their life cycle are met.

Food security cannot be fragmented by artificially

dividing up the food system focusing separately on

production, procurement, processing, and distribution,

while ignoring where our food comes from and how it is

produced. Nor can it be fragmented by dividing up

society on the basis of executive fiat or political

opportunism. There is need for convergence of the

various sectors that fall within the food system.

The Right to life, and food demands that the food

consumed should be safe. The State bears the

responsibility for the ensuring food safety.

Food is intrinsically linked to health. Food that is

not safe to eat should not be considered food. Food

contaminated with pesticides is not safe. There is

increasing evidence that chemicals in the food cause

congenital malformations in the foetus. Pesticides in

food and water are increasingly being linked to

Food Security

Food Safety

8

9

diseases like cancer.

Genetically modified foods are not safe for

human health. GMOs have been associated with

increasing allergies in humans. Studies on other

mammals have shown that these foods can cause

diseases. All genetically modified organisms, including

plants and food, need viral promoters. They also

require antibiotic markets, and may lead to an increase

in resistant to easily available and affordable

antibiotics.

Food safety standards must be derived from

independent science, which is free from conflict of

interest. The Food Safety Regulatory Authority should

also be free from any conflict of interest and should

have no participation of commercial interests in

decision making or laying down of safety standards.

Civil society groups should have significant

representation in such a body.

Baby Foods have been shown to contain intrinsic

contamination of some bacteria like E Sakaazaki, and

WHO has clarified that infant formula is not a sterile

product. Governments need to provide this information

to health workers and its people. In spite of this baby

food companies continue their relentless promotion

through health care system and governments are silent

spectators by not taking any action to deter this. The

Indian legislation,

,

which has been specially enacted to control marketing

of baby foods lacks enforcement allowing industry to go

scot-free and compromise on food safety of youngest

citizens. It is also important to say that even if this

contaminant was not there infant formula feeding is full

of risks and hazards according available evidence

collected over past 5-6 decades

Food sovereignty is the "right" of people to define their

own food, agriculture, livestock and fisheries systems,

in contrast to having food largely subject to

international market.

Food sovereignty at the community and national

level rests on the right of small and marginal farmers to

produce food for their own households and for their

country. Contrary to the dominant thinking small farms

have more food output per acre than large industrial

farms. FAO's Food Security Report 2008 has

confirmed food security for the future rests on the small

farms and small farmers of the world. Tragically while

being food producers, the farmers and rural people are

among the most malnourished both nationally and

international farming. The subsidy and credit structures

for agriculture are in fact biased towards industry and

leave the small farmer in debt. The future of food

security of both the producers and the country rests on

an agriculture that is free of chemicals, free of corporate

monopolies and is based on low cost production based

on principles of ecological sustainability.

Countries, especially large countries like India,

have food cultures that are highly diverse. Some diets

are based on millet, some are rice-centered diets, and

others are wheat centred. In addition to regional

diversity of food, food in several countries is based on a

rich biodiversity which meets nutritional and

therapeutic needs. Indigenous and traditional

knowledge systems have kept alive the food culture of

the country: the knowledge of what to grow, how to

grow it, different crops for different agro-climatic zones,

the health and nutritional benefits of different foods,

how to process foods for various age groups and for

various needs. This knowledge is the cornerstone of

food security. Governments have the responsibility to

support and promote these food cultures, which are

sustainable and equipped to meet the food needs of the

country.

Small and marginal farmers and peasants form

the majority of the population in several countries,

including India. Farming is the source of their livelihood

as well as the food security of the country. Multilateral

agreements such as WTO, TRIPs, Agreement on

Agriculture, the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement

(CODEX) and bilateral agreements such as the Indo-

US Knowledge Initiative have a negative impact both

on food production by as well as the livelihood of these

farmers. Existing agreements should be reviewed on

the basis of their impact on food sovereignty, food

security (with special attention paid to farmers survival

and ability to produce food, and food prices) as well as

Infant Milk Substitutes Feeding

Bottles, and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production,

Supply and Distribution) Act 1992 as amended in 2003

Food sovereignty

4

4.FAO, 2008. “The State of Food Insecurity in the World, 2008 - High food prices and food security threats and opportunities”

for conflict of interest and rejected forthwith if found to

have a negative impact, eg., the Indo US Knowledge

Initiative. All new agreements should be entered into

only on the basis of the participation of people.

The government delegations that represent the

country at policy and decision-making processes at the

international level, such as at the WTO and Codex

meetings, have members of industry, commercial

sector and commercial vested interest bodies, which

have been floated by the industry. This presents conflict

of interests, where the government has to negotiate for

public good, and the corporate interests for profits. This

is unacceptable. No member directly or indirectly

connected with the commercial sector should be given

a place in the government delegation.

The food system of countries is today threatened

by several vested commercial interests seeking to gain

entry, acting in their own name or in the name of

alliances and international and national organisations

such as Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN),

whose stated objective is to increase the role of the

commercial sector in the area of food. They come as

influential partners in any consultative process that

goes on in the country.

Such commercial interests and alliances and

bodies set up on behalf of the industry seek to influence

policy and decision making, and to encourage

partnerships and interaction of the public sector with

the private sector through what is euphemistically

called Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). As

partnerships are based on mutual trust and as there is

enough evidence that the private sector cannot be

trusted to put health and food security before profits,

there is an urgent need to reject such partnerships and

interactions. Commercial interests having a say in our

food, health and nutrition policy, and biased science

clearly reflect a conflict of interest.

The take over of the food system of the country is

aided by “nutritionism” or the breaking up of food into its

various nutrients, and supplying the nutrients through

quick-fix measures rather than ensuring that every

person is able to access diverse foods in adequate

quantities. Nutritionism is based on biased scientific

studies which are funded either by the industry, or

vested commercial interests to promote a particular

processed food that carries a specific nutrient or

combination of nutrients. Such nutritionism allows the

corporate take over of our food system though the

window of micronutrients and ready to eat foods,

whether therapeutic or not. It also paves the way for

allowing the entry of genetically modified plants such as

Golden Rice to enter our agriculture on the argument

that it is needed to meet the nutritional requirements of

our people. Allowing entry to therapeutic foods in

particular paves the way for introduction of several

ready to eat foods within the health and nutrition

systems, and the resulting destruction of local and

healthy food cultures.

To prevent such conflicts of interest in the food,

health and nutritional system of the country, the central

and state governments, and public institutions, or any

of their officials or employees should NOT engage with

the commercial sector or vested commercial interests

in matters related to policy and decision-making. They

should not accept support or endorse the product,

initiative, or the participation of the commercial sector

and vested commercial interests related directly or

indirectly public food, health and nutrition systems.

They should not take any action that could be

construed as having conflict of interest such as but not

limited to payments, gifts, services monetary or in kind,

research funding, etc. All interactions with the industry

and commercial vested interests should be

accountable and transparent, which can be ensured

through public hearings, public notice of interaction and

disclosure of records. The food industry should not be

allowed to use health and nutrition claims on their

products.

The Indian Government is considering enacting

legislation to ensure the Right to Food of its citizens.

To ensure that the food needs of every person are

met requires a shift from farming of cash crops to

farming of food. This includes not just cereals, but also

millet, pulses and oilseeds. Pulses, millets and oil must

be included in sufficient quantity in the Public

Distribution System. Changing cropping patterns have

led the country to become a net importer of pulses and

oilseeds from its earlier status of net exporter of these

items. In the case of pulses especially, as they are the

main source of protein in this country, it is essential that

incentives are given to ensure adequate production.

Right to Food legislation in India

Minimum Support Price (MSP) should be fixed by

10

the government, and enforced, to provide

incentives to farmers to grow these diverse food

items, making food security a sustainable feature

by encouraging self sufficiency and not

dependence upon food production in selected

regions, or upon price volatility.

Food security

must be built at the grassroots level, with

community participation and monitoring and

social audit being an inbuilt part of the food

distribution system.

There is an

immediate need to ensure that incentives are given

for food production and that the commercial sector

has to abide by the MSP when procuring food

items. The price of food in the market should also

be stabilized to make it affordable to all

Increasing land alienation,

changing land laws, shifting land use from food

production to industrial manufacturing, housing

and commercial enterprises through SEZs and

other such instruments should stop immediately

Public funds should be

directed towards sustainable and safe water

supply through its pipes

Seeds should not be subjected to monopoly

control through instruments such as Intellectual

Property Rights

The central and

state governments, and public institutions, or any

of their officials or employees should NOT engage

with the commercial sector or vested commercial

interests in matters related to policy and decision-

making. No member directly or indirectly

connected with the commercial sector should be

given a place in any government delegation where

national and international decisions related to

food, nutrition and health are taken

Class, caste and gender based discrimination is

rampant in the food distribution system, with corruption

adding to the non-availability of food.

India is a land of small farmers. 70% of Indians

lives in rural areas and is directly engaged in food

production. India's small and marginal farmers and

peasants have fed the country and are the foundation

of food security.

The ability to access food is intrinsically tied to

availability of livelihoods that generate enough income

to meet the food needs as well as other basic needs of

the family. Studies have shown that government

schemes to ensure livelihoods such as NREGA affect

small and marginal farmers and peasants and food

production negatively, by increasing the cost of labour,

if MSP is not enforced in both the public and private

sector and food prices are not stabilized concurrently.

The reduction in food production will affect food

availability as well as the price of food.

.

Livelihoods of the majority of the people in the

country is linked to the availability of and access to

natural resources of land, water, and biodiversity.

People's right to natural resources such as land, water,

forests, seeds and other resources needed to create

and sustain livelihoods has been guaranteed to the

people of India by the 73rd and 74th amendments to the

Indian Constitution.

.

The commercialization of water and its marketing

using health claims is leading to poor people also

adopting bottled water for drinking. While it may be

good for someone who is traveling in bus or train, it has

become a mainstream method of drinking water.

Governments are increasingly providing legitimacy to it

like Delhi Jal Board few years back set up a plant to

make bottled water to sell cheaper than the commercial

companies, recent announcement of AP chief minister

to supply bottled water for drinking in its villages. These

interventions are perpetuating poverty and enhance

per capita expenditure.

.

High cost of seeds are increasing the costs of

agricultural production, and raising the price of food.

.

International bodies such as Global Alliance for

Improved Nutrition (GAIN), whose avowed purpose is

to increase the presence of the private sector in food

and nutrition sector, including at decision-making

levels, represent conflict of interest.

.

The problem of malnutrition in India is created by

structural poverty and inequality, exemplified by the

rising unemployment and unending agricultural crisis,

resulting in severe food insecurity. Quick fix measures

are being resorted to for treating malnutrition, including

provision of single nutrients or commercial foods under

the guise of ready-to-eat therapeutic foods, without

taking into account the experiences of projects that

have successfully managed malnutrition, and which

can be scaled up. The government must study the

impact of these and other decentralized community-

5

11

5.See details of presentations made on August 3, 2009, Session 2 Addressing Malnutrition in Practice.

http://www.ibfanasia.org/GC_on_mnc_with_sq.html

12

based, community-empowering measures on

treatment and reduction of malnutrition before taking

any decision on the protocol for treating severe

malnutrition. It would also need to effectively ban the

inclusion of commercial interests through

packaged/ready to eat foods/private public

partnerships in the field of health and nutrition, whether

it is ICDS or any other projects.

.

In addition, the Right to Food and Food Security

legislation should include the following:

Enabling women to meet their extra and full

nutritional requirements during pregnancy and

lactation through programmes such as Integrated

Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and policies

such as price control to ensure that their health and

that of the infant is not compromised.

Protect ion, promot ion and suppor t to

breastfeeding, to help and support women to

exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of life

through counseling, provision of maternity

entitlements including financial entitlement, and

child care support at the community level as well as

the workplace,

Assistance to women and families to provide

adequate and appropriate complementary energy-

dense foods after the first six months of life, based

on diversity to meet all nutritional needs of the

growing infant, including providing child care

support at the community level as well as the

workplace,

Universalizing ICDS immediately with quality as

per the orders of the Supreme Court. This includes

universal coverage, Anganwadi on demand and

banning contractors; the hot cooked meal is to be

made of locally produced food items and made by

women's and self help groups. In addition, the care

component, including crèches and health care

must be strengthened through the services of a

second Anganwadi worker. The quality of training

must be improved.

All nutrition education for infants, children and

adults, especially nutrition education regarding

complementary feeding, prevention and treatment

of deficiencies of iron, vitamin A, zinc, calcium and

other micronutrients should focus on the

consumption of diverse foods that are locally

available or can be grown and that are culturally

appropriate. This should also be included in the

training of health and nutrition professionals as well

as grassroots workers.

Ensuring that the destitute, aged, the disabled,

single women, single mothers, and others who are

in vulnerable categories, including people who are

affected by HIV, Tuberculosis, and other diseases,

who are unable to procure food for themselves for

whatever reason, are provided adequate nutritious

and diverse foods, if need be at their place of

residence, to meet their nutritional requirements.

Any legislation to

ensure the food rights of the people should protect

and promote community self reliance and control

on issues of food security and livelihoods, and the

provision of basic support services such as Public

Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal (MDM),

Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS),

schemes like Antyodaya for the especially

marginalized, and maternity entitlements and

childcare services (for optimal infant and young

child feeding (IYCF) including breastfeeding)

�

�

�

�

�

�

The Global Conference on Meeting Nutritional Challenges with Sustainability and Equity was held on 2-3 August2009, it brought together 160 participants and experts representing India and other countries.

The participants included representatives from farmers groups, women's groups and groups working on rights ofchildren, public health, public interest groups, international groups and individuals. The objective was tounderstand the global and national causes of hunger and malnutrition as well as to evolve strategies to strengthenefforts to secure the human right to food.

This Charter has evolved as a result of the deliberations over two days on identifying critical areas that need politicaland government attention more than ever and urgently.

The right to food is a birthright. It is a universal, fundamental human right without any boundaries.

The dominant patterns of production and consumption are causing environmental devastation, the depletion ofresources, and a massive intensification of poverty.The benefits of development are not shared equitably and the gapbetween rich and poor is widening, with the poor having to bear the negative impact of unjust development andunfair globalization. Injustice, poverty, ignorance, and violent conflict are widespread and the cause of greatsuffering.

The world has committed itself to Millennium Development Goals 1, 4 and 5. The target is to halve, between 1990 and2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day. However, according to the FAO, the numberof people on the brink of starvation is set to reach a record high of 1.02 billion or one-sixth of the global population in

2009.

Today, almost a quarter of the world's children, especially in Asia and Africa, do not get adequate food. In India, onlyabout 20 percent of infants and young children are being fed optimally. Almost half the children under 5 years of age

in India suffer from undernutrition. Two million children die before they reach the age of five. Out of that about onemillion die before the age of one month and two third of these deaths are related to inappropriate feeding practices.

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1949) recognizes the right of everyone to adequate food;

Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) and the General Comment 12of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights further elaborate the responsibilities of all State Parties torecognize the right of everyone to be free from hunger;

Further responsibilities in this regard, particularly with reference to children and women, derive from theConvention of the Rights of the Child (Articles 27.1 and 27.3) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination againstWomen (Article 12);

India is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Socialand Cultural Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Further, Article 21 of the Constitution of India guarantees a fundamental right to life which includes the right tohealth and its determining factors, including food.

Article 39 (a) of the Constitution of India obliges the State to direct its policy towards ensuring that the citizens, menand women, equally, have the right to an adequate means of livelihood.

Article 47 of the Constitution of India makes it one of the primary duties of the State to raise the standard of nutritionand the standard of living of its people and to improve public health.

Preamble

1

2

3

1.

2.

3.

Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization FAO), at the opening session of theWorld Grain Forum, which opened todayin St. Petersburg, Russia. Source: “Number of world's hungry to top 1 billion this year” UN food agency, 6th June 2009. Accessed on 7th July 2009 fromwebsite: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=31051&Cr=hung&Cr1=agriculture.

The State of theWorld’s Children, 2009, UNICEFNational Family Health Survey 3 (2005-06). International Institute for Population Sciences. http://www.nfhsindia.org/nfhs3_national_report.html

12313

PEOPLE’S CHARTER FOR FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY3RD AUGUST 2009

The need for a new synthesis

Science and governance related to food and nutrition in India has so far been fragmented.

Reductionism at the scientific level ends up with Green Revolution models and GMOs which actually reducenutrition and limit the food basket to only cereals. Reductionism in nutritional science has led to nutritionism wherefood is not seen as a system but only a composite of its nutrient parts, allowing quick fix single nutrient basedsolutions while the overall food system disintegrates and hunger grows.

Reductionist science has to be replaced by science that sees food holistically from its production to its processingand consumption. Science based solutions can address hunger and malnutrition only if they are based onindependent publicly funded research and not driven by corporate interests.

This reductionism promotes uniformity

- uniformity in the field making nutrition disappear from our farms

- uniformity in nutrition recommendations that ignores the diverse needs of humans at different stages oftheir lives and in diverse occupations, making nutrition disappear from our diet.

At the governance level the food system has been fragmented. The agriculture ministry focuses on crop productionbased on mono cultures and high cost inputs. The food entitlement of the people of India (public distributionsystem) is looked after by Food and Consumer Affairs. The Ministry of Food Processing promotes industrialprocessing and corporate profits rather than nutrition. The Ministry of Women and Child Development implementsnutrition related schemes for women and child. The Human Resources Ministry implements the Mid Day Mealscheme for school children. The Health Ministry has nothing whatsoever to do with food and nutrition, though theseare the very basis of health.

This fragmented governance has provided an opportunity to giant corporations to invade our food systems andundermine our food sovereignty and food security. An integration and coherence of governance thus becomes animperative to safeguard our right to food.

Recalling the constitutional mandate of the Government of India and the commitments made to ensure human rightto food, we, the people of India call upon the Government to secure the right to food for all her people through thefollowing actions:

to the land, water and biodiversity,to produce diverse foods and be paid fairly for their produce. Production of staple foods for basic needs shouldhave priority over production for exports.

GMO crops should be banned because of theirhealth hazards and environmental risks as well as the intellectual property monopoly linked to them.

particularly in the unorganized sector, and ensuring that they areadequately paid to sustain life and their nutritional well being, leaving aside minimalist approach of grantingwelfare to them.

based on nutritional norms of above 2400kcal/person/day aswell as the adequate protein and all nutrients, and accessed through diverse foods such as millet, pulses, dairyproducts, fruit and vegetables.

in all food, publichealth and nutrition related programmes

produced without the use of chemical fertilisers and/or pesticides, which arealways hazardous. The subsidies that promote toxic chemicals in agriculture should be stopped; insteadincentives should be provided for the production of healthy, nutritious, safe organic food. Food safety andnutrition should be included in all health and food related curricula without commercial sponsorship andinfluence.

maintaining the price of basic foods like oil, grain, milk, pulses vegetableand eggs at levels that people can afford to buy, by abandoning the commodification of and speculation in foodprices.

*****

1. Safeguarding the sovereign rights of local food producers and communities

2. Ensuring that farmers have access to safe and renewable seed.

3. Ensuring livelihoods for all who can work,

4. Ensuring universal public distribution system

5. Ensuring inbuilt component of community participation and monitoring and social audits.

6. Ensuring access to safe food

7. Removing barriers to accessing food,

14

8. Ensuring that any food or ingredient introduced in public food and public health programmes undergoesstrict holistic independent scientific assessment and is subject to regulation to control marketing.

9. Ensuring that indigenous knowledge is identified, recognized, supported and promoted

10. Ensuring access to safe and adequate water as a public good

11. Reviewing the World Trade Organization's Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) agreement, theAgreement on Agriculture and the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (Codex Alimentarius),

12. Developing a policy framework for identifying and managing conflict of interest

13. Ensuring the food and nutrition rights of all children of all age groups,

14. Ensuring the food and nutrition rights of women.

15. Ensuring the food and nutrition rights of marginalized communities

16. Ensuring that existing national legislation is complied with and further strengthened

17. Ensuring independent and unbiased research

18. Building institutional capacity, strategy and transparency

19. Ensuring that international bodies are not used to undermine food sovereignty and nutrition security. Allinteractions of government with any international or commercial body should be transparent

20. Ensuring effective recourse mechanisms are available

The Food Security Act, being proposed by the Government of India should meet the needs of ALL human beingensuring their right to adequate and safe foods,taking into consideration all of the above demands.

August 3,2009 New Delhi

No newchemical, industrial additive or fortified food or therapeutic food should be introduced in the public health andpublic food programmes till all conditions of providing adequate food and water are in place.

for addressing issuesand practices in food production and nutrition leading towards sustainability and equity in food and nutritionsecurity.

without any corporate led marketing of water.

given theharm they have done to the livelihood security of the small farmers, food producers, food processors, as well as tothe food rights of people. The US India Knowledge Initiative in Agriculture which has on its board corporationslike Monsanto, Cargill and Wal-Mart, should be scrapped because it is promoting corporate profits at the cost offood sovereignty and public health. No new multilateral or bilateral free-trade agreement should be signedwithout democratic participation of the people and without an assessment of its impact on food security.

in any agriculture, food, healthand nutrition policy making and programming while interacting with corporate sector/private sector.

particularly for the newborn, vulnerableinfants and young children, through structural support to every woman which includes (i) financial supportduring the first 6 months of life as maternity benefits, (ii) skilled counseling and education on child care andbreastfeeding, and (iii) crèches at community level and at work sites to enable women to fulfill their children'srights to survival, care and development. Immediately implement the Supreme Court Order on universalizationof ICDS with quality and improve the quality and delivery of the mid day meals.

according to their different needs during their life cycleespecially during pregnancy and breastfeeding period All cards for food, livelihood and health entitlements forthe family should be issued in the name of women.

like dalits, disabled, destitute, displaced,tribal, nomadic and de-notified tribes, children in vulnerable situations, inmates of institutions, and so on, withdignity; the mechanisms for this should be developed in dialogue and in discussion with them.

by putting into place amechanism for implementation and monitoring of existing

as amended in 2003, as a part of its obligationand commitment to CRC.

by providing public funds. The source of funding for researchstudies which are used for programme inputs should be verified to ensure that there is no conflict of interest.

: Government should also ensure that its institutionshave the strategy in place for enhancing the nutrition capacity both in operational and strategic sense, anddemonstrating its integrity and transparency towards its people and ensure their democratic right andparticipation. There should be a full declaration of interests. The fragmentation of governance related toagriculture, food, nutrition and health should be corrected by immediately converging and synergizingprogrammes.

and subject todemocratic scrutiny. No industry representative should be in government delegations for any internationalnegotiations such as Codex Alimentarius. There should be no direct or indirect commercial participation inhealth, food and nutrition related policies at all levels of governance nationally.

without discrimination of any kind starting from thehamlet and village up to the national and international levels.

Infant Milk Substitutes Feeding Bottles, and InfantFoods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 1992

12315

16

SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS

The

opened with

Dr. Arun Gupta, Regional Coordinator of International

Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) Asia and Dr.

Vandana Shiva, Founder and Executive Director of

Navdanya inviting the participants and laying out the

background and the objectives of the Conference.

The first day of the Conference was devoted to

understanding malnutrition and the factors that affect

nutritional status, policies and programmes, in the

context of Right to Food and Food Security.

The session brought together Sh. Sompal Shastri,

former Minister of Agriculture, Sh. Anand Grover, UN

Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health and Sh.

E.M.Natchippan, Member of the Rajya Sabha,

Parliament of India.

Sh. Sompal Shastri outlined India's experience

with the Green Revolution, which, while on the one

hand increased production of rice and wheat, on the

other hand led to the destruction of her natural

resources of soil, water and biodiversity, as well as

destroyed her self-sufficiency in pulses, oilseeds and

millet that formed the foundation of the nutritional

security of the people.

Sh. Anand Grover explained that the Right to

Food is an intrinsic and inextricable part of the Right to

Health, as food is a vital determinant of health. He

explained to the participants how the latter can be used

by civil society to pressurize the State to meet its

obligations to ensuring the right to food for its citizens.

Sh. Natchiappan assured the participants that he

would be supporting the Conference through raising

issues related to the forthcoming Food Security

legislation in the Parliament.

Dr. Marion Nestle, Paulette

Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition,

Food Studies and Public Health, and Professor of

Sociology, New York University, and Dr. Utsa Patnaik,

Professor of Economics, Centre for Economic Studies

and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.

Global Conference on Meeting Nutritional

Challenges with Sustainability and Equity

INTRODUCTORY SESSION - RIGHT TO

FOOD AN INALIENABLE HUMAN RIGHT

SESSION 1: UNDERSTANDING HUNGER

Keynote speakers:

DAY-1

Sh. Sompal Shastri, Adv. Anand Grover, Dr. E.M.S. Natchippan and Dr.Vandana Shiva in the introductory session

17

Chairperson:

Speakers:

Chairperson:

Realising the Human Right to Food with

Equity.

Dr. Sarla Gopalan, former Secretary,

Department of Women and Child Welfare, Ministry of

Human Resource Development, Govt. of India.

Dr. Marion Nestle detailed how the food

corporations influence people's food and nutrition

choices. Giving several examples, she explained how

these companies make false or misleading health

claims to promote their foods, particularly targeting

young children. She explained the links between

agriculture and nutrition and why growing diverse foods

locally is important, particularly in the context of food

business using claims of micronutrient deficiencies to

bolster the sales of their products.

Dr. Utsa Patnaik informed the participants that the

very sharp rate of inflation of food prices from 2007 has

impacted the poor very severely especially in

developing countries causing food rights in 37

developing countries. The drought conditions in many

parts of the world this year have worsened the situation.

There has been a growing trend globally of food grain

output not keeping pace with global population. There

has been an absolute decline in per head food

production. It becomes even more serious when much

of this grain is diverted towards producing animal feed.

This decline is due to the rapid liberalization and

corporatisation of agriculture, the shift from food crops

to cash crops, the high rate of growth, and other factors

associated with globalization. She concluded with a

stress on the need to grow more food.

Sh. Harsh Mander, Special Commissioner

to the Supreme Court of India on the Right to Food, and

Dr. George Kent, Professor of Political Science,

University of Hawaii

Dr. Abhijit Sen, Member, Planning

Commission, Govt. of India

According to Harsh Mander, when we talk

about right to food, we are really talking about ending

hunger and malnutrition. When we talk of the Right to

Food Act we are talking about the resolve of the

government to end hunger and malnutrition. While the

Right to Food can be viewed from many perspectives,

Mander stressed that his concern is with equity which

has to be very central to the discourse, especially as it

tends to get lost. We are in a paradoxical position where

a few Indians make it to the list of the richest people

while millions go hungry to bed. The livelihoods of an

entire range of small producers, farmers, artisans, and

so on has been destroyed. We need to understand the

role of the state and why it has been ineffective in

reducing malnutrition and starvation in individuals and

communities who live in a well-endowed state. A range

of activities have been done. We have some of the

largest and most ambitious food schemes in the world

covering women, children, adolescents; we have a

scheme to provide work for 100 days at least. However,

there is no way at present in these schemes to reach

SESSION 2: FOOD RIGHTS TO HEALTH

Dr. Utsa Patnaik, Dr. Marion Nestle and Dr. Sarla Gopalan

18

the excluded; the mid-day meal scheme of providing a

meal to children in school does not reach out to those

not in school. Supplementary feeding programmes do

not meet the needs of those who have no primary

nutrition. Governments intervene only at the final stage

of malnutrition or starvation. We appear to be blind to

the social reality of exclusions. The Right to Food Act

has to be about the hungry.

Dr. George Kent explained

the two Gandhian concepts of - means complete

freedom of opinion and action without interference with

another's right to equal freedom of opinion and action -

and - meeting one's needs through one's

own production or self-sufficiency, a means for

protecting one's freedom of action. When applied to

food and nutrition issues, Gandhi's call for can

be seen as a precursor of the modern call for food

sovereignty. These principles say that to the extent

feasible, decisions regarding how people should be

nourished should be made locally, not by distant

government agencies or corporations. Given the

opportunity, together with appropriate information and

advice, strong communities will make sound decisions

in the interest of local people. In strong communities,

people rarely go hungry. is based on the

recognition that in strong communities people do not

exploit, but instead support each other. Thus there is a

direct link between and community-based

nutrition security. in strong communities might

be the best means available for ending hunger in India

and in the world.

Swaraj as the Foundation for Community-

based Nutrition Security.

swaraj

Swadeshi

swaraj

Swaraj

swaraj

Swaraj

Sh. Harsh Mander, Dr. Abhijit Sen and Dr. George Kent

19

SESSION 3 - ROOTS OF MALNUTRITION

Speakers:

Chairperson:

Destruction of sustainable food production

and livelihoods.

WTO and the threat to food production.

Dr. Vandana Shiva, Founder-Executive

Director, Navdanya and Dr. Kishen Bir Chowdhury,

President, Bhartiya Krishak Samaj

Sh. Sompal Shastri, former Minister of

Agriculture, Govt. of India

Dr. Shiva elucidated that the concept

of securing food for all requires that first and foremost,

enough food be produced, in ways that ensure

nutritious food, safe food and that keep livelihoods

thriving. Securing food for all rests on three pillars; the

first of the natural resources of soil and water including

livestock and seed biodiversity; when people lose their

rights to their natural resource base through policies

that transfer agricultural land to corporations, that

devalue food for animals, that proclaim as thieves

farmers who save seed and conserve biodiversity, the

first pillar upholding the country's ability to secure food

for all is destroyed. The second pillar is of food

sovereignty or the right to produce food and not merely

the right to buy food. It begs the question-why are

societies and peoples that could feed themselves

earlier hungry today. Whatever the criticism against the

Green Revolution, independence in producing enough

food was central to India's agricultural policies, and

government investment in agriculture was in creating

structure: irrigation systems, providing a market to the

farmer through the universal public distribution system,

which also made food available to the consumer at an

affordable fixed price, leaving no place for speculation

in food. Today these policies have been abandoned for

the credit system, which is merely a way of passing

money from the government to the corporation that

provides inputs while leaving the farmer with the debt.

The third pillar is of accessibility and affordability of safe

nutritious food, a diversity of food that is balanced and

meets all the nutritional requirements of people at each

stage of their life. The current system that favours

monocultures, the use of chemicals in farming and

which promotes GMOs leaves little space of diversity,

which is essential to meeting the nutritional needs of

humans. Securing food for all means securing enough

of safe and nutritious food for all, and not merely

cereals like rice and wheat.

Dr.

Kishen Bir Chowdhary spoke of the importance of seed

security for food security, for seed ensures food

production and without food production, there can be

no food security. In all countries, especially Asian

countries, where agriculture still provides livelihood to

more than 50% of the population, seed security is vital

to the survival of millions. The WTO is eroding this

security through the Trade Related Intellectual

Property Rights clauses which force countries to

change their laws to allow property rights on seeds.

India is in the process of changing its Seed Act and

farmers are protesting the new Seed Bill. In India, with

its various agro-climatic zones, it is especially essential

that the seed be kept in the public domain, as the seeds

have over centuries adapted themselves to the various

climates. However, corporations do not respect this,

when they bring in new technologies and new seeds

using the excuse of meeting India's food needs. Why is

Bt brinjal being brought in, when there is no shortage of

brinjal in India? This is merely a way of routing

subsidies to corporations. Globalisation, as

exemplified by WTO, has encouraged

corporations to take control over several

aspects of people's lives. Corporations

today direct the food choices of the people.

They use advertising to sell unhealthy junk

food. Today children, especially in the cities

are increasingly becoming obese. When

corporations decide on what food is to be

eaten, how it is to be processed, farmer-

centric policies get replaced by corporation-

centric policies. We have to take a position,

we have to decide what is best for the

country, for our people, and not what is best

for the corporations.Dr. Kishen Bir Chowdhury, Sh. Sompal Shastri and Dr.Vandana Shiva

20

SESSION 4: MANUFACTURING

MALNUTRITION

Speakers:

Chairperson:

Nutrition for women and children

what does it mean?

Nutrition and the 0-6 month old infants.

Dr. Mira Shiva, Director,

Initiatives for Health Equity and Society, Dr.

K.P. Kushawaha, Professor of Pediatrics

and HOD Pediatrics, BRD Medical College,

Gorakhpur and Dr. M.M.A. Faridi, Professor

of Pediatrics and HOD Pediatrics, University

College of Medical Sciences, Delhi.

Dr. Mohini Giri, founder of

War Widows Association, former head of

National Commission for Women, and head

of Guild of Service.

Dr. Mira Shiva highlighted the

gender disparity in the country, where the nutritional

needs of women is the blind spot of health and

nutritional policies and programmes. This becomes

even more important when we realize that the

nutritional status of women determines the nutritional

and health status of children, the future of India. The

development of a nation should be judged on

parameters that reflect the status of the most

vulnerable-the women and children. The gender

disparity has widened, maternal mortality rates have

shown the least decline and there is more anemia

amongst women and children today in an India which

boasts of high economic growth. Over 30% of the

women have a BMI of less than 18.5; these women add

very little weight during pregnancy, due to inadequate

food, and give birth to babies with low birth weight. Both

poverty and patriarchy act synergistically to keep

women malnourished. Combined with early marriage,

heavy workloads and numerous pregnancies, the

woman has little chance of improving her nutritional

status, especially when nutritional classification does

not take a woman's actual workload and energy

expenditure into account when laying down standards.

The deficiencies in women's and children nutrition that

arises because of inadequate and incorrect foods, and

which should be met with balanced diet, is today being

used as a market by pharmaceutical and neutraceutical

companies which claim to sell solutions.

Dr.

Kushwaha underlined the fact that in all discussions of

food security, right to food, debates on nutrition, the

issue of the food rights of the infant is never raised. The

only food the infant under six months needs is

breastmilk, and yet breastfeeding is never considered a

food rights or food security issue. The benefits of

breastfeeding babies lasts throughout life; there is

better brain development, less chances of diseases like

cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in adulthood. It

helps women recover faster after giving birth, and

makes them less prone to some cancers. Exclusive

breastfeeding for six months reduces obesity by 50%

and under nutrition by 40-50%, as Class 2 and 3

evidences show. However, there is no systemic or

structural support for women to breastfeed. Infant

formula manufacturers use this lack to increase their

sales, and thereby increase infant morbidity and

mortality. Media too is breastfeeding unfriendly. As an

international organizations that often act as a mediator

between health and nutrition programmes and infant

food manufacturers, especially during disasters. This

has to stop. Women must be supported in every way to

effectively breastfeed, through counseling, through

family and community support.

Dr. Mira Shiva, Dr. Mohini Giri, Dr. K.P. Kushwaha and Dr. M.M.A. Faridi

Dr. Shreeranjan

21

Complementary feeding.

Speakers:

Chairperson:

Nutritionism - the slippery slope to

corporatisation of food.

Dr. Faridi explained

how exclusive breastfeeding meets the entire

nutritional requirement of a baby for the first six

months. While it continues to provide the majority of

micronutrient requirements, except of iron, thereafter

till the child is two years old, it cannot meet the

increasing energy requirements. Thus after six months,

the baby needs both breastmilk and complementary

foods. However, there is little education given to

women on how to give complementary foods. Babies

cannot chew, they need time to adjust to new tastes,

they do not know how to use their tongue to swallow.

Learning these skills takes time. Each meal can take up

to half hour or more. And because their stomachs are

small, babies need to be fed several times a day. When

women are not given adequate counseling and skills to

feed complementary foods, or are not supported by the

family, the community, the workplace, complementary

feeding becomes inadequate and the infant becomes

malnourished, especially if breastfeeding is also

reduced at the same time. Parents need to be taught

what to give the baby, how to cook it, how to give it, how

much to give at each meal, and how often to give it.

Dr. Veena Shatrugna, former Deputy

Director and Head of Clinical Division, National Institute

of Nutrition, Hyderabad, Ms. Patti Rundall OBE, Policy

Director, Baby Milk Action, U.K., Dr.Khurshid Talukder,

Centre for Women and Child Health, Bangladesh, and

Dr. Vandana Prasad, Community Pediatrician and

National Convenor, Public Health Resource Network,

India

Dr. Umesh Kapil, Professor, Dept. of

Human Nutrition,All India Institute of Medical Sciences

Dr. Veena Shatrugna

described at the outset how India scripted

undernutrition into its policies and programmes.

Historically in India, nutritional recommendations were

made on the basis of energy requirements, This energy

was to be provided by cereals, as well as adequate

quantities of non-cereal foods such as eggs, milk and

vegetables, which would also provide the protein and

micronutrients required. During WWII, polished rice

was not available to the public to ensure that people

met their nutritional requirements with unpolished,

parboiled rice. Post-Independence, there was a

brahminisation of food, and animal protein, except milk,

SESSION 5: THE HUNGER BAZAAR-

CHEMICALISING FOOD TO CREATE

MARKETS

Dr. M.M.A. Faridi

Ms. Patti Rundall, Dr. Umesh Kapil, Dr. Khurshid Talukder and Dr.Vandana Prasad

22

no longer figured in the nutritional recommendations;

instead low value and low-cost vegetables proteins

were suggested. This created space for soya to be

promoted as a source of protein in spite of it being full of

fibre and antinutrients. The assumption was that

children would get a balanced vegetarian diet of

vegetables, pulses, fruits, cereals. However, this has

not happened because of the spiraling cost of food. The

focus shifted to the calorie gap, and provision of cereal

based supplementary foods was introduced of

micronutrients, there was never any concern. This gap

was then filled by the corporations, with doctors

prescribing tonics and vitamins. The history of Indian

nutrition has thus been one of increasing distance

between the science of food and the actual need of the

large number of people.

UNICEF

and WHO estimate that 1.5 million lives could be saved

each year through more breastfeeding. Today a baby

dies every 30 seconds because it is not breast fed. Patti

Rundall detailed how manufacturers of infant food were

convincing women that breastfeeding was a “chore”

and led to sagging breasts, as well as using unethical

the medical profession and the health system to further

their market for infant foods. Companies such as

Nestlé have refined the art of persuading parents,

policy makers and health workers to 'trust' their

products. In the 1980s Abbott Ross paid for

architectural services - facilitating separation of

mothers and babies - and creating generations of bottle

fed babies. In spite of the existence of the International

Code for Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes,

violations continue. Today the infant food market is

worth US$ 31 billion, and is growing at 10% per year,

especially in Asia where regulatory laws and rules are

weak or non-existent. In their promotion, particularly

through misleading health claims, they are assisted by

Codex Alimentarius, where their presence is allowed.

In fact, Codex, which sets food standards, encourages

world trade. The industry sets up industry-driven bodies

such as the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

(GAIN) as a non-profit international organization to

further their interests, while making them appear

humanitarian rather than profit-oriented. The Nestle

Boycott was initiated in the mid-70s, to force the

company that was the world leader in infant foods, to

stop unethical marketing. Today, along with Nike, Coca

Cola and MacDonald's, it is among the most boycotted

brands in the planet. Most effective in UK, the Boycott

has led to Nestle being unable to sponsor events and

charities in the country.

Dr. Talukder explained that while undernutrition is

an important cause of death of children under 5, half the

children die in the first month of life. They occur

because mothers are not supported to breastfeed

exclusively; because wrong nutritional activity is

undertaken much before there is need for

micronutrients. Yet another fact is that while there is

more low-birth weight, stunting and incidence of

underweight in South Asia as compared to Africa, there

is much higher infant and under-5 mortality in Africa,

leading to the question of whether undernutrition is

Corporate takeover of infant feeding.

Using micronutrient malnutrition to take over

food.

Dr.Veena Shatrugna

23

such an important causative factor in child mortality. It is

probable that continued breastfeeding has a vital part to

play in reducing child deaths. We need to bring up the

rates of timely initiation of breastfeeding, of exclusive

breastfeeding for six months; in fact, the fact that the

latter is stagnating in Bangladesh is clearly correlated

to the fact that underweight rate is also stagnating.

There is little use of bringing in micronutrients like

Sprinkles or Shakti Doi if we do not improve exclusive

breastfeeding rates and feeding with appropriate family

foods as complementary foods thereafter.

Appropriately fed children do not become underweight,

do not suffer micronutrient malnutrition. The main

nutrition programme in the country, funded by World

Bank, has actually done little to improve breastfeeding.

There are many smaller fortification and micronutrient

programmes like Sprinkles, the food distributed by the

World Food Programme, Shakti Doi - a vitamin A

enriched yoghurt of Danone and Grameen Bank. The

last appears to be a failed financial model as the

product is very expensive and they have a tough time

marketing it. However, none of these foods or models

are of much use in combating malnutrition, if

appropriate feeding practices - breastfeeding practices

are not put in place.

Dr. Vandana Prasad took the participants

through the claims of Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic

Foods (RUTF) as the only panacea for severe acute

malnutrition. RUTF, which is energy dense food with a

specific mineral and vitamin content, can be used

easily and safely by large populations, especially

children suffering from such malnutrition. However,

there appears to be confusion over whether

RUTF is a food or a drug; on the one hand, it

is recommended to be used freely and

distributed as food but on the other hand, it

has to be manufactured as a drug, creating a

universalised market for monopolised

production. Again, the statement, that it is to

be used 'only for SAM' and 'only for brief

period' is not consistent with the concept of

universal market. Today, when RUTF is

being promoted, it is invariably “Plumpy Nut”

manufactured by Nutriset of France. Little

research is being conducted on alternatives;

there is confusion in the entry-exit criteria for

the treatment programme; there seems to be

an overemphasis on sterility and the lack of water in the

product, which does not disclose that while the product

may not contain water, water is a vital component of the

treatment protocol. In addition, the emphasis on quality

control excludes community production of RUTF.

Nutriset is also manufacturing products such as

“Plumpy Doz” for treating Moderate Acute Malnutrition

and others for preventing malnutrition. International

organizations such as UNICEF and MSF (Doctors

without borders) are already using these products in

Africa to show their efficacy. However, what is rarely

understood is that such an exercise will replace food

with commercial products. For, using RUTF to treat

severe acute malnutrition, and moderate acute

malnutrition and also to prevent malnutrition will

essentially mean giving RUTF to all children.

Dr. Arun Gupta, Regional Coordinator

IBFAN-Asia and Central Coordinator, BPNI, Dr. J.P.

Dadhich, National Coordinator BPNI, and Dr. Vandana

Shiva, Founder Director, Navdanya

Ms. Gargi Parsai, Senior journalist with

The Hindu and winner of the Prem BhatiaAward 2009.

Public Private Partnerships and Multi

Stakeholder Dialogues, said Dr. Gupta, have been

promoted to increase corporate presence in policy

making and policy implementation at all levels; the

United Nations has been a key driver in this. The

fundamental flaw in this model is the existence of

The politics of ready-to-use therapeutic

foods.

Speakers:

Chairperson:

Public Private Partnerships - will they feed the

hungry?

SESSION 6 - PARADIGMS THAT PAMPER

PROFIT-MAKING

Ms. Gargi Parsai, Dr.Vandana Shiva and Dr. J.P. Dadhich

24

conflict of interest. The notion of PPPs emerged with

corporations trying to undo a system of regulations, by

introducing the concept of Corporate Social

Responsibility or CSR. The 4000 corporations that

have joined the UN Global Compact do not report on

the 9 principles of good governance because there is

no one to monitor them. Today, while the word PPP is

on everyone's agenda as the only hope for the world,

there are no guidelines for such partnerships. There are

global partnerships in health and nutrition such as

Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, Global

Alliance for Improved Nutrition, which appear to have

forgotten theAlmaAta Declaration of Health forAll. The

focus has shifted from prevention, from having public

health systems in place, from having safe water and

sanitation to treatment of diseases and vaccines, led by

the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The GAIN

phenomenon operates in the field of nutrition, set up

with 50 million dollars of BMGF, states clearly that its

aim is to build markets for corporations. They today

provide the funding for several micronutrient initiatives

in the country. Where do these alliances get their

money from? And not just alliances, but organizations

like UNICEF? There is no monitoring system. It is quite

possible that UNICEF gets money from corporations

like Nutriset to push products like Plumpy Nut. There

seems to be no concern with conflict of interest. GAIN is

also trying to use India to change Codex standards so

that even though the standards may take years to be

changed, corporations can start using the new

proposed standards for new products. The government

must immediately take measures to deal with conflict of

interest, and define what they mean by PPPs.

Dr. Dadhich described how

biomedical research provides the necessary

evidence for the modern medical practice.

Based on the research findings, clinical

guidelines are prepared which in turn, feed in

to evidence-based medicine. Such research

should be unbiased, ethical, neutrally funded.

However, biomedical research is not

sacrosanct; it can be manipulated by vested

interests to their own advantage rather than

towards public good, especially if they are

also funding the research. Today, about US$

56 billion is spent per year on health research

by both public and private sectors, less than

10% of which goes towards research on

diseases that account for 90% of the global

burden of disease. There is more emphasis

on research that is commercially useful than

on basic research. Research on simple, low-

cost technologies, appropriate for use in

settings with few resources is rarely funded.

Today, private corporations, led by

GlaxoSmithKline, Aventis, Merck, Pfizer and

Hoffman-LaRoche, fund approximately 1/3rd of the

original manuscripts published. Every third or fourth

author has a conflict of interest, and is 10 to 20 times

less likely to present negative results. Often editors

also do not examine for possibility of bias in the

presentations. Such research associations with the

medical profession allows the corporations to project a

humanitarian image by linking their names to doctors,

national and international organisations, and influence

national and international policies. Dr. Dadhich gave

examples of such dishonest and manipulated

Science in service of the market-

health and nutrition issues: use of

biomedical research by industry to boost

profits.

25

research: Nestle's launch of a hypoallergenic formula

on the basis of research findings of Dr. R.K. Chandra,

published in the British Medical Journal, which later

withdrew the publication after it was found that

Chandra's findings were fraudulent. The studies

related to the recommendation for giving vitamin A to

infants under six months in the Lancet Series on

Maternal and Child Undernutrition, 2008, were

primarily funded by Hoffman LaRoche; most of the

other studies found no benefits of such treatment.

Recently, Andre Briend, the maker of :Plumpy Nut for

treating severe acute malnutrition, was funded by

Nutriset, which he then joined and which has today

become the patent holder and monopoly manufacturer

of the product.

Dr. Shiva explained how the scientists

who had evolved genetic engineering got together in

1972 and placed a moratorium on this technology

because they did not fully know what its impact would

be on life. However, industry caught on to this and very

quickly took out patents on every step of the technology

that was developed in universities. These were the

chemical companies that after WWII became the

pharmaceutical and agrichemical industries. And the

most patented were crops that were resistant to

branded pesticides/herbicides, and crops that

produced their own poisons, eg. Bt crops. The Earth

Summit Convention on Biological Diversity has a

clause that requires governments to have a biosafety

protocol. However, the US came up with the clause on

“substantial equivalence” which basically means that

GMOs should be treated as if they were not GMOs,

which does not require that they be assessed for safety.

There was then a move, which was finally successful,

to bring a stricter Indian law in line with the non-

regulation of the US. Because of the US order, and their

pressure, there are no independent studies on safety.

GMOs are particularly hazardous because of the

technologies used they use especially virulent viruses

as promoters, and also create antibiotic resistance by

using antibiotics as markers. A few safety studies

conducted in various countries have linked GMOs to

diseases such as cancers and infertility. However, it is

more common to silence such researchers. One

government researcher, Dr. Arpad Putzhai, who found

that GMOs were not as safe as claimed was thrown out

of his job and was not allowed to speak out, till civil

society managed to get the UK Parliament to remove

the gag order. In another case, when a scientist at the

University of Berkeley published his findings on

contamination by genetically engineered corn in

Nature, the industry protested and, in a first, Nature

withdrew the article as a result of viral marketing one

message that is churned out in the names of hundreds

of fictitious people challenging the findings. In India,

there is an International Society for Acquisition of

Biotechnology Acquisitions that is an industry body

located in Cornell. The representative in India is also

the chair of the Genetic Engineering Approval

Committee, making the industry lobby the regulatory

body. The role of industry becomes clear in the case of

Africa. The Gates Foundation has set up the Alliance

for the Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Though

chemical agriculture has been linked to climate change

and is being phased out elsewhere, AGRA promotes

the use of fertilizers in Africa, as the new

seed, developed by the chemical industry,

needs fertilizers. This is also linked to a

centralizing of all funding for agriculture and

agricultural research. The agenda appears

to be using government money to create

captive markets through alliances such as

GAVI, GAIN, AGRA or the US India

Knowledge Initiative. Scientific evidence for

untested products will be created, and

industrial liability will become non-existent,

and finally there will be the criminalization of

the alternative. It is time now for using

Gandhi's tool of Non-Cooperation to fight

this unjust system.

Science in service of the market - Genetic

Engineering.

Dr.Vandana Shiva and Dr. J.P. Dadhich

26

The deliberations began with the comments and

recommendations on the first draft of the People's

Charter for Food and Nutrition Security, based on the

first day's presentations and discussions that had been

distributed the previous evening.

Dr. Arun Gupta, Ms. Sejal Dand, Founder-

Director,Anandi, Gujarat.

Dr. R.K. Anand, Pediatrician and

Founder, Association of Consumer Action for Safety

and Health

India has one of the

strongest laws in the world to protect promote and

support breastfeeding - commonly called the IMS Act.

However, the existence of the law does not guarantee

justice. Dr.Arun Gupta took the participants through the

case against Nestle filed by ACASH, one of the

organizations authorized by the Act to file a criminal

case in the event of violations. The case, which was

filed in 1994, is still in the Metropolitan Court today;

arguments have yet to start. In the meantime, the

judges have changed eight or nine times, the lawyers

have changed thrice, and there have been more than a

hundred appearances. The problem is that this is a

criminal case, and the state has to fight the case;

however, the onus of doing so is on us, as the state

does not even attend the hearings. Most of the judges

who have presided have never even heard of the law.

The first six months a judge changes is spent in

educating them about the law. In 1995, after

cognizance was taken, Nestle went to the High Court

and filed a writ petition against the Constitution of India,

challenging the validity of the law. They also filed a

petition there and sought adjournment - 19 of the 22

adjournments were because Nestle wanted them. The

lower court then decided to wait for the decision of the

High Court, which will probably be given in a day or two.

In the meantime, the evidence against Nestle

vanished; it was stolen. However, because we had

evidence of the violation in advertisements, Nestle's

argument that they had not printed the advertisement

went unheeded and the case still stands in the lower

Court. Nestle continues to violate the IMS Act, by

sponsoring meetings of health professionals, setting up

institutes like Nestle Nutrition Institute which hosts

meetings for health and nutrition professionals, and

using other means to influence them. The law needs to

be strengthened to prevent such influencing by the

industry. There is also no specific monitoring done by

the government. The government needs to take public

action against violators, eg. Blacklisting, financial

penalties. The public must also call for a stop to the

violations.

The Right to Food Campaign in

SESSION 1 - DEFENDING THE RIGHT TO

FOOD

Speakers:

Chairperson:

The Infant Milk Substitutes Act-an Act that

needs to be strengthened.

Using the judicial system to protect food - the

case against Micronutrient Fortification of flour in

Gujarat High Court.

DAY-2

Dr. Arun Gupta, Dr. R.K. Anand and Ms. Sejal Dand

27

Gujarat has challenged the micronutrient fortification of

flour distributed through the PDS system in the state.

The case originally grew out of the landmark PUCL

case where the Supreme Court had ordered in 2002 the

universalisation of several food and nutrition schemes

including the PDS. Though Gujarat is deemed to be a

highly developed state it is one of worst states in terms

of food security - in availability, in access and in

distribution. While the state has the highest per capita

income, it also has the largest rural labour force, some

of the most marginalized communities, the highest

inequity coefficient. Over 30% of the population does

not have food for six to nine months in a year. Where

indicators like IMR, malnutrition are concerned, Gujarat

is as bad as the rest of the country in spite of its

economic growth. While we have been able to get the

government to implement the orders on hot cooked

meals for ICDS and mid-day meals in schools, the

challenge has been the PDS. While we have managed

to get the PDS to distribute some amount of coarse

cereals, the flour and oil are being fortified in the name

of managing micronutrient deficiencies, while no

attention is being paid at all to lack of enough food in the

first place. The government admits that the decision to

fortify has been taken without any scientific bodies

recommending it. One study quoted by the government

showed 20 sports persons having a rise of 2mg of

haemoglobin over 3 months of consuming fortified

flour. On the basis of this, a fortification programme with

nine micronutrients has been universalized in the ICDS

programme. The fortification is being done through a

PPP. The studies and trials were conducted by the

Gujarat Roller Flour Mills Association which has

become the beneficiary of the decision to universalize

fortification. The flour being distributed through the

PDS system is of very poor quality and is contaminated

with insects. As fortification involves centralized

production, the decision on the quality of flour is now no

more with the Collector at the district level. Further, the

price of fortification is being extracted from the poorest

of the poor in terms of quantity families now get less

flour and that too of inferior quality. There is still no

evidence of either the existence of large scale iodine

deficiency or the impact of universalisation of iodine

fortification of salt. However, such universalisation has

centralized salt production in a few large commercial

firms and destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of

small salt producers. The same can happen with

universal fortification of flour. What we need to ask is

who is benefiting, who is taking decisions and who is

setting the agenda in nutrition.

Dr. K.P. Kushwaha, Ms. Devika Singh,

Mobile Creches, Dr. N.C. De, Child in Need Institute,

Calcutta, Dr. Anuradha Bose, Christian Medical

College, Vellore

Dr. Kushwaha showed how undernutrition

has significantly reduced in Lalitpur district, one of the

poorest districts of Uttar Pradesh. The intervention,

which covered over 62,000 infants and young children,

revolves around counseling women in optimal IYCF,

through creating a cadre of counselors from grassroots

level (ASHAs, Anganwadi Workers and selected

mothers) to district level using the BPNI-IBFAN 3-in-1

course. In addition, local graduates have been trained

as supervisors, who also function as trainers of

grassroots workers. Counselling includes Antenatal

education of mothers about advantages of breastmilk

and breastfeeding and how to succeed in

breastfeeding, Early initiation of breastfeeding, Helping

SESSION 2: ADDRESSING MALNUT-

RITION THROUGH PRACTICE

Speakers:

Addressing Malnutrition: The Lalitpur

experience.

28

mothers to learn positioning and attachment for

effective breastfeeding, Prevention of breastfeeding

difficulties and breast conditions, Expression of breast

milk and katori feeding, Exclusivity of breastfeeding,

Identification of sick babies and their referral, kangaroo

care, Preparing good complementary food for babies

and foods to feed, Feeding skills for complementary

feeding, Variety and amount of foods for growing

children. The children's growth is monitored on a

regular basis. In addition, a low-cost complementary

mix is prepared by the trained workers for women who

need to use them. Review meetings are conducted by

the District Magistrate every month. A baseline survey

was conducted in 2006 in IYCF practices; an evaluation

survey conducted in 2008 shows that timely initiation of

breastfeeding has increased by 61.1%, exclusive

breastfeeding for six months by 55%, introduction of

thick complementary foods between 6 and 8 months by

31.2%; there has been a decline in the giving of

prelacteal feeds by 52%. The IMR in the district has

come down from 85/1000 live births in 2001 to 44/1000

live births in 2009, and <-2SD under nutrition in the 6-12

months age group from 52.5% to 9.02%. The mean age

of marriage has also risen from 15 years to 18 years as

a result of the counseling. The Lalitpur experience

clearly shows the need to invest in improving IYCF

through skilled counseling, and make it an integral part

of the public health programme of the country.

Mobile Creches works with the

children of migrant construction labour, for whom,

survival is a miracle explained Ms. Devika Singh.

These children number around 6 crore, half of whom

are under six. Frequently on the move, and

without family support systems, breast

feeding is affected; complementary feeding

is difficult and immunization of children

remains incomplete. A Mobile Crèches

Study of 450 Households of migrant workers

in Delhi and the NCR conducted in 07-08,

found that 2/3 rds children were

malnourished. Only 32% had received

exclusive breast feeding, and only 32% had

received complementary food at six months.

A snapshot of the nutritional status of

children based on data collected in the

month ofApril 09 for 463 children under 3, in

Mobile Creches construction site centres,

showed that only 44% of the children had normal

nutritional status, with 8% being in Grade III

malnutrition and 1% in Grade IV malnutrition. The

Mobile Creches Daycare model is based on the

principle of integrated care - crèches at worksite to

facilitate both breastfeeding as well as care of older

children and nutritional inputs along with care and

stimulation by trained workers; health check ups,

growth monitoring, counseling, and linkages of families

to PHCs and hospitals if possible. Children are given

milk and suji kheer, lunch for those above 9 months of

suji halva or khichdi, and an evening snack of milk with

soya, raosted chana, sprouted moong, moth, and

peanut chikki and bananas in winter. Special diets are

given to malnourished children which includes ½ egg

and 1 ½ bananas; for Grade III and IV, a spoon of oil is

added. Iron and multivitamin drops are given on

alternate days. The cost works out to Rs. 10/- per child

per day. An action research conducted in 2007-08

highlighted that while the strategy of home-based care,

one-to -one interactions with selected families, over a

period of time, with a focus on child care practices and

behaviour change, linkages to health services, group

discussions and awareness building with communities

reaches larger numbers and improves breast feeding,

colostrum feeding, complementary feeding,

immunization,

, and which needs a

. In the context of migrant children this means

that the State must play a major role by including these

children in schemes like ICDS and Sarva Shiskha

Abhiyan, providing crèches at NREGAworksites and at

Anganwadis as well as strictly implement labour laws to

Addressing Malnutrition: The experience of

Mobile Creches.

it does not impact malnutrition which is

rooted in multiple causes

comprehensive set of multi pronged strategies in their

entirety

Dr. N.C. De, Dr. R.K. Anand, Dr. Anuradha Bose and Ms. Devika Singh

29

ensure crèches at workplaces, provide maternity

entitlements for at least six months to women in the

unorganized sector, ensure that families of migrants

are included in all government schemes related to

health and nutrition, and invest in training and

communication on Early Child Care and Development

on a mass scale and counseling and support to women.

The Child in Need Institute (CINI) was started

in 1974-75 with the mission of “Sustainable

development in health, nutrition, education and

protection of child, adolescent and woman in need”

through holistic care based on life cycle approach and

child and women friendly community, explained Dr. De.

CINI runs Under 5 clinics, Nutrition Rehabilitation

Centres and conducts training of ICDS workers,

government and NGO persons, besides its field

activities and research. The CINI concept of Nutrition is

NOT BY FOOD ALONE; it encompasses food/energy,

health care and love and care. Improper

complementary feeding, infections caused by lack of

hygiene and sanitation and lack of care and support

lead to malnutrition. CINI has developed NUTRIMIX - a

cereal (wheat/rice)-pulse (Bengal gram/moong gram)

mix in the ratio 4:1, a multipurpose mix that is used in

several ways for complementary feeding, as a food

supplement and for treating malnutrition both in NRCs

and in the community. One teaspoon of Nutrimix (3g)

provides 10Kcal of energy and 0.4g of protein. Mineral

Mix or Mineral Electrolyte Mix, made of ingredients

locally available is combined with Nutrimix, sugar, oil

and water in specific quantities to provide 1500Kcal a

day for treating malnutrition. The treatment also

emphasis continued breastfeeding, relactation where

possible, family pot foods such as green vegetables,

eggs, fish, and fruits and vitamin supplements when

needed. Nutrition education - the need for 7-8 small

meals a day, use of a separate plate or bowl for the

child, and the benefits of the family eating together - is

an essential component of the treatment, which, on an

average, gives a weight gain of 9g/kg of body

weight/per day. Nutrimix is an accessible, affordable

and acceptable food for communities that are poor. The

production of the mix ensures community involvement

and participation; it is decentralized and promotes self

reliance. Thus it is sustainable.

Dr. Anuradha Bose explained that as

even a single episode of illness can precipitate severe

malnutrition in children who are moderately

malnourished and therefore it is extremely important to

target all forms of malnutrition in children. The primary

cause of malnutrition in children above six months is

late addition of or inappropriate complementary foods,

particularly animal protein. She stressed that at present

the guidelines for treating malnutrition differ in their

clarity, foundation on current knowledge and

instructions for treatment; that there is an urgent need

for clear, accessible and authoritative information that

is prescriptive rather than descriptive. At Vellore, the

standard treatment for Protein-Energy Malnutrition is

High Calorie Cereal Milk, that mothers can make at

home with milk, cereal flour and oil of their choice, and

sugar, in addition to food from the family pot. Mothers

need to stay with the child at the rehabilitation centre for

a week, when they are taught how to cook the food and

feed the child. Then the child returns home and is

monitored regularly at the OPD. Vellore also

encourages the local preparation of a ready-to-use

therapeutic food made of milk powder, sesame oil,

sugar, multivitamins and roasted peanuts, which can

be prepared either in the home or the health centre or

any small commercial unit. The precise quantities of

micronutrients are not critical; it is more important to

ensure that all energy dense foods are available locally

so that all children can get them.

Addressing Malnutrition: Child in Need

Institute.

Addressing Malnutrition: Christian Medical

College, Vellore.

30

SESSION 3: ADDRESSING HUNGER AND

MALNUTRITION THROUGH POLICY

Speakers:

Chairperson:

Going green-the Cuba experience.

Venezuela.

Mr. Eduardo Inglesias Quintana, Dy. Chief

of Mission, Embassy of Republic of Cuba, HE Milena

Santana-Ramirez, Ambassador of the Bolivarian

Republic of Venezuela, Mr. Aksel Naerstad, Senior

Policy Advisor, the Development Fund, Norway, Ms.

Dipa Sinha, Office of the Commissioner to the Supreme

Court of India on the Right to Food, Mr. Biraj Patnaik,

Principal Advisor, Office of the Commissioner to the

Supreme Court of India on the Right to Food.

Sh. Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Senior

Journalist, Lok Sabha TV.

Mr.

Quintana explained that the economic blockade of

Cuba by the US forced Cuba to try and solve its

problems with ingenuity. Before the Revolution, 15 to

20 families controlled 80% of the land. There was

poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition. The health system has

improved post the Revolution; today we have 80,000

doctors. In the area of nutrition, every child gets a litre of

milk a day. For older people, other protein, like soya

milk is given. Food is given in schools, at work places, in

factories and offices, so that at least one meal is

ensured. Nutrition was most difficult to revolutionize

because we were dependent upon other countries for

inputs like fertilizers to grow food. The collapse of the

Soviet Union, that made oil unavailable, and the US

economic blocked created a food crisis. Imports

vanished; there were no fertilizers, animal feed, tools,

seed, wire, animal vaccines, fuel for farm machinery or

irrigation systems, tyres, batteries, spare parts and the

few agricultural necessities that were produced on the

island dried up due to lack of raw materials, electricity to

run factories, vehicles for distribution or petrol with

which to operate them. Food became rationed and

scarce; the average Cuban lost 20 pounds, children

became malnourished and the incidence of low birth

weight increased. The Cuban government decided

upon rap id and innova t i ve espousa l o f

biodiversification, with researchers working directly

with farmers, that has steered Cuban national

agricultural practice away from high dependency upon

unsustainable elements such as expensive technology

and imported chemicals to develop a pioneering model

of agricultural policy that is founded upon biodiversity-

based organic agriculture. Rural and urban gardens

sprang up, and food was grown in anything that could

hold soil and water. Today we have reached a situation

where we are considering whether we need to continue

rationing food, as we are in a position to achieve food

security.

HE Milena Santana-Ramirez

described how human beings are the centre and

principle of society in the Bolivarian Republic of

Venezuela. This concept has led to a shift away from

several paradigms to placing people rather than

economic growth or trade at the centre of policy. This

has led to a significant reduction in poverty, especially

Ms. Dipa Sinha, Mr. Biraj Patnaik, Mr. Eduardo Inglesias Quintana, Sh. Paranjoy Guha Thakurta,

HE Milena Santana-Ramirez and Mr. Aksel Naerstad

31

extreme poverty. “MISION CRISTO”, based on the

scope of the Millennium Development Goals set by the

UN, is the principal Mission , with the goal of achieving

zero poverty in 2021. “NEGRA HIPÓLITA MISSION”

has the goal of coordinating and promoting everything

related to providing full attention, including , to

every child, teenager, adult, handicapped person, and

senior citizen that lives in the streets under extreme

poverty. Protection committees and community

organizations oversee the functioning of this mission.

“MADRES DEL BARRIO MISSION” supports needy

women and their families; women of the community

prepare and offer free food to the poorest people in the

neighborhood, and are remunerated by the

government. In the Bolivarian Schools, where most of

the children are amongst the poorest, the children have

lunch and snack. In order to guarantee the country's

food security and sovereignty, the Bolivarian

Government created "Mission Food", whose aim is to

offer basic foodstuffs at low prices and without

intermediaries to the population, by creating “MISIóN

ALIMENTACIóN” and its network of storing centers and

stores (MERCAL, PDVAL, among others). The

objective of the Mission is to guarantee access to good

nutrition, in a timely and efficient manner, by using a

synergic commercial and social food distribution

network that can reach the less-favored sectors of the

population. It incorporates small businesses and

cooperatives as suppliers for the MERCAL network,

stimulating both the generation of new sources of

employment and local production. In addition, in May

2007, the Venezuelan minimum wage became the

highest in Latin America (US $ 372). Workers also

receive a monthly bonus for food amounting to over US

$ 139. Pensions too have been increased to the

minimum wage. Gender equality adds to the

achievements of the Venezuelan society. Women

participation in Communal Centers is 60%; 4 out of the

5 Public Powers are headed by women. The women's

presence in the National Assembly (Venezuelan

Parliament) increased from 10% to 16.5%.

Aksel

Naerstad explained how, in spite of it being a country,

agriculture is an important part of the Norwegian policy.

Norway, with a population of 4.6 million, has almost

10% of the land area of India; agriculture accounts for

only 3% of land use, and only 3% of the workforce. A

quarter of the food consumed is imported; in terms of

calories, almost 50% of the food is imported. And yet,

the government has consistently supported and

protected farmers and their independence in the WTO.

It has also taken a very strong position against the

introduction of GMOs and on intellectual property rights

on seeds and life forms. Naerstad also informed of two

initiatives he is involved in. One is

. These initiatives are

campaigning globally to eradicate hunger and

malnutrition by 2025.

Dipa Sinha explained the rationale

for introducing mid-day meals in schools - improving

food

Experience of Norwegian Development.

Meeting children's food needs-Integrated

Child Development Scheme and Mid-day Meal

Scheme in India.

More and Better and

International Campaign for Food, Agriculture, Rural

Development Aid to Eradicate Hunger and Poverty.

The other initiative is the International Planning

Committee for Food Sovereignty

32

children's nutrition by ensuring at least one nutritious

meal in a day, as well as encouraging school

attendance, particularly in girls, and to remove caste

and class barriers. Tamil Nadu started such schemes in

the 1960s. In 1995, the government introduced it as a

national programmes for primary schools, but only dry

rations were given, except in Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil

Nadu and parts of Madhya Pradesh where cooked

meals were given. The Supreme Court order of 2001

has made this a necessary provision in all government

and government-aided schools. There are still some

problems lack of infrastructure, lack of separate staff,

inadequate financial allocation, poor quality of foods,

and so on that need to be solved. The Integrated Child

Development Services (ICDS) was started in 1975 “to

provide an integral package of services in a convergent

manner for the holistic development of the child” with

the aim of providing pre-school education on the one

hand, and breaking the cycle of malnutrition, morbidity

and mortality on the other. It is implemented through

Anganwadi Centres by Anganwadi workers and

helpers. As the only programme for children under six

years of age, it caters to about 30% of all the children of

this category. It provides supplementary nutrition for

children above 6 months of age and pregnant and

lactating women. The Supreme Court has directed the

government to universalize the scheme to cover all

eligible beneficiaries, with priority being given to

Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribe habitations and

urban slums, and to create Anganwadis also when it is

demanded by the people. The Court, while increasing

the financial allocation for supplementary foods, has

also banned the use of Contractors, and directed that

hot cooked meals, prepared by local women from local

ingredients, be served at the Centres. The challenges

that remain to be tackled are increasing coverage,

increasing focus on pre-school education, increasing

focus on under 3s, reducing the work load of the

Anganwadi workers and increasing their motivation as

well as community participation in the scheme. Studies

have shown that as it is currently being implemented,

ICDS has had some impact on decreasing malnutrition,

but this is not very significant. The Working Group for

Child Under Six, a Joint Working Group of the Right to

Food Campaign and People's Health Movement - India

identified five strategies that need to be implemented

for reduc ing malnut r i t ion . These inc lude

universalisation of ICDS with quality, Creches and day

care facilities, maternity entitlements, support for IYCF,

especially breastfeeding and prevention of interference

from commercial interests. Some of these have already

been included in the orders of the Supreme Court which

has converted the benefits of the 'schemes' into legal

entitlements for children under six and school-going

children; especially significant as there is no 'law' that

covers rights of children under six.

Biraj Patnaik explained that the

Public Distribution System is one of the largest food

subsidy programmes in the world, dating back to food

rationing introduced by the British in 1939. It provides

subsidized food grains worth Rs. 24,000 crore to over

16 crore families, through a network of 4.5 lakh ration

shops. It is the principal food safety net in the country. In

1997, despite a dramatic increase in food procurement,

the government abandoned universalisation for

targeted PDS (for those below the poverty line-BPL),

resulting in the exclusion of lakhs of families that were

on the borderline. In addition, there was corruption in

allocating BPL cards, as these cards also entitled

people to subsidized health and other services. The

system is also riddled with political patronage, and

pressure from the powerful millers and transport

contractor lobbies. The problems are compounded by

corruption, high operational costs and lack of political

will to ensure food security. Given that poverty is a

primary cause for food insecurity, the government, in

2005, enacted the National Rural Employment

Guarantee Act, that provides 100 days of employment

to one adult member of every rural household at

minimum wages on demand, and the provision of

unemployment allowance in case it is unable to provide

employment. The goals of the Act are (1) to provide

strong safely net for the vulnerable groups, (2) to

empower rural poor through this rights-based act, (3) to

bring about governance reforms on the principles of

transparency and grass root democracy and (4) to

strengthen the natural resource base of rural livelihood

and create durable assets in rural areas (“to promote

growth engine for sustainable development of our

agricultural economy and to address chronic poverty

emanating from droughts, deforestation and soil

erosion”). The success of the Scheme is evident in that

today it is not just another small poverty alleviation

programme or a mere safety net, but has acquired a

Protecting access to food- Public Distribution

System and National Rural Employment Guarantee

Scheme in India.

33

size that is relevant at the macro level in its influence on

the mainstream economy.

The final version of the People's Charter for Food

and Nutrition Security was read out and endorsed

unanimously by all the participants. The Charter was

handed to Sh. Natchippan, member of the Rajya

Sabha, Parliament of India, who agreed to take it up in

the next session of Parliament. He encouraged people

to write to their representatives, both at the national

level and at the state level, giving details of the Charter

with a copy to him, so that he could follow it up.

Dr.Vandan Shiva, Sh. E.M.S. Natchippan and Dr. Arun Gupta

PROGRAMME

Time Session Speakers

8.30-9.00 am Registration

9.00-9.10 am Introduction Dr. Arun Gupta and Dr.Vandana Shiva

9.10-9.40 am Inaugural Session - Right to Food An Inalienable Human Right Opening RemarkssDr. Sompal Singh

Shastri-RemarksAdv. Anand GroverDr. E.M. Sudarsana

Natchippan

9.40-10.40 am Session 1 - Keynote Speakers Understanding HungerHunger and Malnutrition Prof. Utsa Patnaik

Dr. Marion NestleChair:

Dr. Sarla Gopalan

10.40-11.00 am Tea

11.00-11.45 am Session 2 - Food Rights for HealthRealising the Human Right to Food with EquitySwaraj as the Foundation for Community-based Nutrition Security Shri Harsh Mander

Prof. George KentChair: Dr. Abhijit SenDiscussion

11.45 am 12.45pm

Session 3 - Roots of MalnutritionDestruction of sustainable food production and livelihoodsRoots of tribal malnutrition WTO and the threat to food production

Dr. Vandana ShivaDr. Binayak SenDr. Kishan Bir

ChoudharyChair Dr. Sompal

Singh ShastriDiscussion

12.45 1.30 pm Lunch

1.30 2.30 pm Session 4- Manufacturing MalnutritionNutrition for women and children what does it mean?Nutrition and the 0-6 months infants

Complementary feeding

Dr. Mira ShivaProf. Komal Prasad

KushwahaProf. M.M.A FaridiChair: Dr. Mohini GiriDiscussion

2.30 4.00 pm Session 5 The Hunger Bazaar: chemicalising food to create marketsNutritionism the slippery slope to corporatisation of foodCorporate takeover of infant feedingUsing micronutrient malnutrition to take over food the example of

Shakti Doi in BangladeshThe politics of ready-to-use therapeutic foods

Dr. Veena ShatrughnaMs. Patti RundallDr. Khursheed

TalukderDr. Vandana PrasadChair: Dr. Umesh KapilDiscussion

4.00-4.30 pm Tea

4.30 5.30 pm Session 6 - Paradigms that Pamper Profit-makingPublic Private Partnerships - will they feed the hungry?

Science in service of the market health and nutrition issuesScience in service of the market - Genetic Engineering

Dr. Arun GuptaDr. J.P. DadhichDr. Vandana ShivaChair: Ms. Gargi ParsaiDiscussion

5.30-6.00 pm Announcements Sharing draft of Peoples Charte r for Food Sovereigntyand Food and Nutrition Security

DAY ONE: 2ND AUGUST 2009

35

36

DAY TWO: 3RD AUGUST 2009

Time Session Speakers

9.00-9.10 am Recap of previous days programme and sharing the Peoples Charter Dr. Arun Gupta

9.10-10.00am Group Discussion on the Peoples Charter for Food Sovereignty andFood and Nutritional Security

Moderated by Dr. VandanaShiva and Dr. ArunGupta

10-10.11.00 am Session 1 - Defending the Right to FoodThe Infant Milk Substitutes Act an Act that needs to be strengthenedUsing the judicial system to protect food the case against

Micronutrient Fortification of flour in Gujarat High Court

Dr. Arun GuptaMs. Sejal Dand

Chair: Dr R.K Anand

Discussion

11.00-11.15 am Tea

11.15-1 pm Session 2 - Addressing Malnutrition through PracticeThe Lalitpur experience

Mobile Creches

Child in Need InstituteChristian Medical College, Vellore.

Prof. Komal PrasadKushwaha

Dr. Mridula Bajaj/Ms.Devika Singh

Dr. Nimai Chand DeProf. Anuradha BoseChair: Dr. R.K. AnandDiscussion

1.00 1.45 pm Lunch

1.45 3.00 pm Session 3 - Addressing Hunger and Malnutrition through Policy Paneldiscussion

Going green the Cuba experience

Experience of Venezuela

Experience of Norwegian DevelopmentMeeting childrens food needs Integrated Child Development Scheme

and Mid-day Meal Scheme in IndiaProtecting access to food Public Distribution System and National

Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in India

HE The Ambassador ofCubaHE The Ambassador of

VenezuelaMr Aksel NaerstadMs. Dipa Sinha

Shri Biraj Patnaik

Chair: Shri Paranjoy GuhaThakurta

Discussion

3.00-4.00 Group Discussion to finalise the Peoples Charter for Food Sovereigntyand Food and Nutrition Security

Moderated by Dr. VandanaShiva and Dr. ArunGupta

4.00 -4.30 pm Tea

430-6.00 PM Session 5 Summing Up Dr. Vandana ShivaPresentation of the Peoples Charter for Food Sovereignty and Food and

Nutrition Security to Members of Parliament

Vote of thanks: Dr Arun Gupta

Dr. E.M. SudarsanaNatchiappan,MP (RajyaSabha)

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

S.No. Name Organisation Email

1. DrA.K.Arun Food, Nutrition and Health (FNN) [email protected]

[email protected]

2. Mr.Aaron Schneider Tulane University [email protected]

3. MrAbhijet Sen Planning Commission of India [email protected]

4. Ms.Aditi Tandon The Tribune [email protected]

5. Adv.Anand Grover UN Special Rapporteur on Right to Health

6. Mr.Ajay Kumar LegalAdviser, Breastfeeding Promotion [email protected]

Network of India

7. Mr.Ajit Sirohi MIMDGURU

8. Ms.Akanksha Dutta PLAN International [email protected]

9. Mr.Akash Tyagi NEFR Foundation [email protected]

10. Mr.Aksel Naerstad Development Fund / MoreAnd Better [email protected]

Norway

11. Mr.Alex George Save the Children Fund [email protected]

12. Ms.Alka Punj Humanity & Peace Society [email protected]

13. Mr.Amarjeet Singh National Technical Research Organisation [email protected]

(NTRO), Governemnt of India

14. Mr.Amit Dahiya Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India [email protected]

15. Mr.Amit Kumar Navdanya [email protected]

16. Dr.Amrita Misra UNOPS-NIPI [email protected]

17. Ms.AnujaAgarwal All India Institute of Medical Sciences [email protected]

18. Mr.Anup Kumar Program for Women's Social, [email protected]

Srivastava Economic and Cultural Rights

19. Dr.Anuradha Bose Christian Medical College and Hospital [email protected]

Vellore

20. Dr.Archana Sinha Indian Social Institute, New Delhi [email protected]

[email protected]

21. Dr.Arun Gupta International Baby FoodAction [email protected]

Network (IBFAN),Asia [email protected]

22. Mr.Arun Kumar Hindustan (Hindustan Times Group) [email protected]

23. Mr.Ashok Kumar Sinha Karma Consultants [email protected]

24. Dr.Ashwani K Sood Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla [email protected]

25. Mr. Bansi Dogra Doordarshan News

26. Ms. Beena Bhatt International Baby FoodAction [email protected]

Network (IBFAN),Asia

27. Ms. Bhawani Sharma Save the Children Fund [email protected]

28. Mr. Bimlesh Kumar Jha Journalist, Chauti Duniya

29. Mr. Biraj Patnaik PolicyAdvisor, Office of the Commissioner [email protected]

to the Supreme Court

30. Dr. C. Sathyamala Medico Friends Circle [email protected]

31. Mr. C.P.Arun Plan International [email protected]

32. Dr. Chander Kant Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Delhi [email protected]

33. Mr. Chandrshekhar BTVP's-Kayak Vikas Vediki-Yarandge [email protected]

K. Jamkhande

34. Dr. D.K. Taneja Indian Public HealthAssociation [email protected]

37

35. Ms. Devika Singh Mobile Creches [email protected]

36. Dr. Dinesh Khosla Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India [email protected]

37. Mr. Dip Magar UN Office of the High Commissioner [email protected]

for Human Rights

38. Ms. Dipa Sinha Office of Commissioner of Supreme Court [email protected]

39. Ms. Gargi Parsai The Hindu Newspaper [email protected]

40. Dr. Garima Mittal Dr B.S.A. Hospital [email protected]

41. Dr. George Kent Department of Political Science, [email protected]

University of Hawali

42. Mr. Gopikrishna SR Greenpeace India [email protected]

43. Ms. Gouri Choudhury Action India

44. Mr. Harsh Mander Commissioner to the Supreme Court [email protected]

45. Ms. Ila Vakharia CHETNA [email protected]

46. Mr. J.B. Oli IndianAlliance for Child Rights (IACR) [email protected]

47. Dr. J.P. Dadhich Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India [email protected]

[email protected]

48. Dr. Jagdish C. Sobti Pediatrician [email protected]

49. Mr. Jenit Lourdu Latha National Commission for Justice [email protected]

Peace & Development

50. Mr. Jitendra Panda Plan International [email protected]

51. Ms. Jog Pankti D JANPATH [email protected]

52. Ms. Joya Roy TheAshoka Foundation [email protected]

53. Mr. JP Misra Centre for Equity Studies [email protected]

[email protected]

54. Dr. K P Kushwaha B R D Medical College, Gorakhpur [email protected]

55. Dr. K. Kesavulu Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India [email protected]

56. Mr. KabirArora Indian Youth Climate Network [email protected]

57. Ms. Kajali Paintal Nutritionist [email protected]

58. Ms. Ketaki Saxena Journalist, The Pioneer [email protected]

59. Dr. Krishan Bir Bharatiya Krishak Samaj [email protected]

Chaudhary

60. Dr. Krishna Majumdar National Federation of Indian Women [email protected]

61. Mr. KumarAman Open Forum [email protected]

62. Ms. Kumkum Marwah Food and Nutrition Board, Ministry of [email protected]

Women and Child Development,

Government of India

63. Dr. Kurshid Talukder Centre for Human & Child Health, Bangladesh [email protected]

64. Ms. Lakshmi Menon [email protected]

65. Ms. Lisa Malaney

66. Mr. L.R. Gupta Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India [email protected]

67. Mr. M. Shajudeen Green Youth, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu [email protected]

68. Dr. M.M.A. Faridi HOD Pediatrics, University College of [email protected]

Medical Sciences, Delhi

69. Ms. Manisha Bhalla Outlook Magazine [email protected]

70. Ms. Maria Edna Martin Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India [email protected]

71. Ms. Maz Sawmadawneliani Centre for Peace and Development [email protected]

72. Ms. Milena Santana Ambassador, Embassy of Venezuela [email protected]

Ramirez

73. Dr. Mira Shiva Initiative for Health, Equity and Society/ [email protected]

Third World Network

74. Dr. Mohinder Singh Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India

38


75. Dr. Mohini Giri Guild of Service [email protected]

76. Ms. Nalini Kant MANAVI [email protected]

77. Dr. N.K. Sethi Planning Commission, Government of India [email protected]

78. Dr. Neelam Bhatia National Institute of Public Cooperation [email protected]

and Child Development (NIPCCD)

79. Ms. Neelam Gupta Freelancer [email protected]

80. Ms. Neetu Routela JAGORI [email protected]

81. Ms. Neetu Sharma National Law School, Bangalor/FIAN [email protected]

82. Ms. Neha Kumra Oxford Policy Management Ltd [email protected]

83. Ms. Nidhi Pundhir Plan International (India) [email protected]

84. Ms. Nirali Mehta Plan International [email protected]

85. Ms. Nirmala Selvam Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India [email protected]

86. Ms. Nisha Ramachandran JAGORI [email protected]

87. Dr. Nithiya CBCI-National Commission for Justice [email protected]

Peace & Development

88. Dr. P.K. Goswami MAMTAHIMC

89. Mr. P. K. Sudhir Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India [email protected]

90. Dr. P. Krishnamoorthy National Institute of Public Cooperation and [email protected]

Child Development (NIPCCD)

91. Mr. Padam Khanna [email protected]

92. Dr. Paramjeet Kaur Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India [email protected]

93. Mr. Paranjoy Guha Thakurta [email protected]

94. Mr. Prasanth K.S. National Health Systems Resource [email protected]

Centre (NHSRC)

95. Patti Rundall Baby MilkAction, UK [email protected]

96. Ms. Prasida Holla All India Institute of Medical Sciences [email protected]

97. Mr. Pravin V Jha PLAN International [email protected]

98. Mr. Prem Singh [email protected]

99. Ms. Primla Loomba National Federation of Indian Workers [email protected]

100. Dr. Prodipto Roy Council for Social Development [email protected]

101. Mr. Pushpendra Bhai Gram Swarajya Prehri Prasikshan Santhan

102. Mr. R R Jha Foodfirst Information &Action Network (FIAN) [email protected]

103. Mr. R.Selvam Or. Farmers Federation of Erode Region [email protected]

104. Dr. R.G. Holla Neonatologist [email protected]

105. Dr. R.K.Anand Senior Pediatrician [email protected]

106. Ms. RadhaAribam IndiaAlliance For Child Rights [email protected]

107. Mr. Raj Kumar DD News

108. Mr. Rajiv Mishra Exlporers Consultancy Services [email protected]

109. Mr. Ram Gopal Sisodia Kisan Janata

110. Mr. Raman Tyagi NEFR Foundation [email protected]

111. Ms. Randeep Kaur Plan International (India) [email protected]

112. Ms. Rashme Sehgal Sr.Asst. Editor, Investigation, CHRONICLE [email protected]

113. Dr. Ravi Bhatia Delhi Unit (Retd) [email protected]

114. Mr. Ravi Shankar Food and Nutrition Board, Ministry of Women

and Child Development, Government of India

115. Ms. Rebecca Eileen Peoples Health Movement - LatinAmerica [email protected]

Zuniga-Hamlin

116. Ms. Rema Nagarajan Times of India [email protected]

117. Dr. Renu Singhal Safdarjung Hospital [email protected]

118. Dr. Reyes Tirado Greenpeace India [email protected]

39


119. Mr. Rishab Khanna Indian Youth Climate Network [email protected]

120. Dr. Rita Gupta Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India [email protected]

121. Roshni Mistry University of Otago [email protected]

122. Ms. Ruchika Shiva Plan International (India) [email protected]

123. Mr. S.C. Jain Action For Food Production, New Delhi [email protected]

124. Mr. Sandeep Kumar Mishra Foodfirst Information &Action Network

125. Dr. Sangeeta Saxena Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, [email protected]

Government of India

126. Mr. Sanjay Dave Charkha-Gujarat [email protected]

[email protected]

127. Mr. Sanjay K Rai FIAN India [email protected]

128. Dr. Sanjay Rai CCM,All India Institute of Medical Sciences [email protected]

129. Mr. Sanjib Kr. Behera Oxfam India [email protected]

130. Dr. Sarala Gopalan All India Women’s Education Fund

Association (AIWEFA)

131. Ms. Seema Srivastava JAGORI [email protected], [email protected]

132. Ms. Sejal Dand ASHAGujarat (Anand -Secretariat) [email protected]

133. Ms. Shalini Amity university [email protected]

134. Ms. Shatarupa Kashyap Action for Food Production [email protected]

135. Ms. Shefali Sharma Third World Network [email protected]

136. Ms. Sheila Seda Trained NursesAssociation of India [email protected]

137. Mr. Shiv Prasad Singh Foodfirst Information &Action Network, UP [email protected]

138. Mr. Shiv Vijen Singh Sanagra Vikas Sansthan

139. Dr. Shreeranjan Ministry of Women and Child Development [email protected]

Government of India [email protected]

140. Ms. Shruti Mishra PLAN International [email protected]

141. Mr. SKAhammad Uddin Raj Mission [email protected]

142. Dr. Subhadra Menon Public Health Foundation of India [email protected]

143. Ms. Sudeshna Sengupta Mobile Creches [email protected]

144. Ms. Suneeta Dhar JAGORI [email protected]

145. Ms. Sumitra Grote Office of the UN Special Rapporteur on [email protected]

Right to Health

146. Dr. Suparna Ghosh Jerath suparnaghoshj@yahoo,com

147. Dr. Suranjita Ray Daulat Ram College [email protected]

148. Mr. Surender Singh MATRI-SUDHA- a charitable trust [email protected]

149. Mr. Swatandtra Kumar Navdanya [email protected]

150. Ms. Tejinder Kaur Home Maker

151. Mr. Tushar Kanti Das PLAN International [email protected]

152. Dr. Umesh Kapil All India Institute of Medical Sciences [email protected]

153. Dr. Usha Shrivastava National Federation of Indian Women [email protected]

154. Dr. Vandana Prasad Pubic Health Resource Network (PHRN) [email protected]

155. Dr. Vandana Shiva NAVDANYA [email protected]

156. Ms. Vasanthi Raman Centre For Women's development & Studies [email protected]

157. Ms. Veena Sharma Plan International (India) [email protected]

158. Dr. Veena Shatrugna [email protected]

159. Ms. Vidhu Prabha Action India [email protected]

160. Dr. Vikram Dhar [email protected]

161. Mr. Widia Banjos Cuban Embassy [email protected]

162 Mr. Y.S. Rawat Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India [email protected]

40


2009 august nutritional conference new delhi

Documents