Originally published August 9 2005
UN pulls food aid out of Ethiopia after concern about health risks
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The U.N has been forced to remove 16,000 tons of corn soy blend from their aid effort in Africa after being warned that it contained higher than normal amounts of iron.
The decision to pull the 16,000 tonnes of corn soy blend, a dietary supplement made of cornmeal, soy flour, salt, oil, vitamins and minerals, came after the US suppliers warned that the batch contained excess iron and could be harmful, it said.
"We had no evidence that the over-fortified corn soy blend was life-threatening but as a precaution we removed it from circulation," Paulette Jones, a spokeswoman for the WFP in Ethiopia, told reporters here.
"We did have to delay this food from distribution but we do have contingencies in place," she said, amid concerns that the move could affect millions of at-risk Ethiopians during the country's traditional June-to-September hunger season.
Jones did not say how long the delay would last, but some aid workers said they feared that a lengthy postponement in distribution could do more damage than consumption of the corn soy blend in question.
"This supplementary food is the only life-saving measure available for some of the most needy in Ethiopia at the moment, and these delays could have devastating consequences," one aid worker told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The excess iron in the corn soy blend can lead to vomiting and diarrhea, with extreme cases resulting in death through kidney or heart failure, according to nutritionists.
The WFP currently feeds some 14 million children and mothers in 325 drought-affected districts in the impoverished Horn of Africa nation of 72 million people.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml