AMERICAN FALLS, Idaho-The first-ever MannaPack Potato-D MobilePack event was kicked off on August 13-14 in American Falls, Idaho. MannaPack Potato-D addresses one of the top killers of children worldwide-diarrhea.
According to Cheryl Koompin, USPB Chairman, 308,240 MannaPack Potato-D meals were packed by 582 volunteers. The World Health Organization attributes 3.5 million deaths to diarrhea each year. Eighty percent of those are children under five-years-old.
The USPB recently partnered with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) and the Centre of Sustainable Livelihoods at Vaal University in South Africa to study the impact on diarrhea and acceptability of FMSC's potato-based, fortified, blended food Manna Pack Potato-D (MPP-D), which was designed specifically to assist in the management of diarrhea symptoms in children.
Preliminary results show that:
-Diarrhea was diminished or resolved in the group of children who received MPP-D while the control group didn't change.
-Nutritional well-being was also improved compared with the control group that did not receive the product.
-It was also important to find out if the children would like the product. While potatoes have not been a part of their diet in the past, the children receiving the MPP-D product showed growing acceptance during the study, with more than 95 percent reporting they liked the product and would like to make such a product a part of their regular diet.
For more information on MannaPack Potato-D, or to inquire about a MannaPack Potato MobilePack event in your area, contact T.K. Kuwahara USPB International Marketing Manager, Dehydrated Potatoes, at (303) 873-2316 or teresak@uspotatoes.com. Or, check out the "US Potato Board International Food Assistance Initiative" Facebook Page for photos of the first ever MannaPack Potato MobilePack event. http://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Potato-Board-International-Food-Assistance-Initiative/144169785593794?v=wall&ref=sgm#!/pages/US-Potato-Board-International-Food-Assistance-Initiative/144169785593794?ref=sgm