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HONDURAS BUYS IOWA SOY FOR NEW HEALTHY SCHOOL PROGRAM Iowa’s Roy Arends Witnesses Launch of Nutrition Program Using Cargill Soy Flour |
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| URBANDALE, Iowa
- Iowa Soybean Association At-Large Director Roy Arends
was recently invited to Honduras to serve as an honorary witness to the
signing ceremony of a landmark agreement between the Honduran government’s
Healthy Schools Initiative and the Honduran Bakers Association. Arends,
a soybean grower near Alexander, also serves on the World Initiative for
Soy in Human Health (WISHH) board of directors. WISHH helped cultivate
the launch of the new initiative that led to Honduran bakers buying soy
flour from Cargill's Cedar Rapids facility to give a much-needed nutritional
boost to 27,000 Honduran school children. On August 4 in the capital city of Tegucigalpa, Honduran government officials signed the agreement with the Honduran Bakers Association, which commits the Honduran government to buy soy-fortified cookies produced by association members. This pilot project will boost the protein and overall nutrition for 27,000 urban school children for 20 days in October. The pilot tests the bakers' capacity to deliver a product that meets quality and nutritional standards. If successful, the program will be made permanent in the 2006 school year, creating the need for approximately 10 tons of flour. “It was gratifying to see that Iowa soy can contribute to thousands of children getting more nutritious meals that help them be ready to learn,” Arends said. “Honduran bakers created the recipe that uses Iowa soy because the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health and American Soybean Association introduced them to our high-protein soy products, provided training in their use and assisted in communicating its benefits to their government.” "We believe that we can give our children some excellent nutrition and our local bakers a chance to produce and sell a healthy product for our schools. In this way, we strengthen our economy both in the short and long term," said Director of Honduras’ Escuelas Saludables (Healthy Schools) Ramon Borjas. "While soy flour is a very well known product in the United States, Cargill looks forward to expanding its significant nutritional and functional benefits to the people of Honduras," said Gregg Nelson, market manager for Cargill's soy protein business. "Everyone benefits from this, from the final consumer in Honduras, all the way back to the farmer-grower in the U.S. It is another example of Cargill working to be the global leader in nourishing people." WISHH introduced the use of soy flour to the bakers through a project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Global Development Alliance (GDA) program and Cargill. The soy cookies offer much-needed protein in the young people’s diet. Use of soy flour in baker products has added benefits of lengthening shelf life, improving color and increasing dough yields. While in Honduras, Arends also met with representatives of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) because of WFP interest in health programs for women and children, including school meal programs. In addition, Arends participated in discussions that are part of Honduras’ national dialogue on childhood nutrition to give infants and pre-school children the nutrition they need to prevent long-term impacts. |
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