Cargill Joins Scaling Up Nutrition Movement in Multi-Country Effort to End Under-Nutrition

07 Jun 2013 --- Cargill announced it has joined Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) as a member of the SUN Business Network. The SUN Movement currently unites the governments of 40 countries and civil societies, the United Nations, donors, businesses and researchers in a collective effort to improve nutrition.

The SUN Business Network is being co-chaired by the World Food Programme and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), both of which are among the organizations that Cargill collaborates with to improve food security.

In joining the SUN Business Network, Cargill is supporting the SUN Movement globally and at the country level, particularly in the areas of agriculture and education in countries where Cargill operates. The agriculture agenda promoted by the SUN Movement focuses on improving the quantity and quality of agriculture production. It is working to promote food and nutrition security for farmers, families and communities. The SUN Movement also promotes education, ensuring that improved agricultural incomes lead to more nutritious food choices so children have the energy they need to grow, learn and become more economically productive adults.

Cargill Vice Chairman Paul Conway said joining the SUN Movement aligns with Cargill's dedication to nourishing people and its commitment to increasing food security around the world.

"Every year, we work directly with millions of farmers to help them grow more food more sustainably, reach more markets, receive fair pricing and improve their standards of living," said Conway. "We believe raising incomes in agricultural communities helps farmers and their families improve the quality of their diets, and we will continue to explore ways in which agricultural productivity can lead to better nutrition. In addition, many of our farmer training initiatives encompass broader social and community needs, such as nutrition and health education, improved children's education and improved access to safe drinking water. We are pleased to be joining the SUN Movement in its vitally important work to reduce the unacceptably high numbers of malnourished children in the world."

Cargill is working to improve food security in collaboration with other organizations in SUN countries, including Guatemala, Haiti, Indonesia, Ghana, Zambia, Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania and globally through its participation in the Flour Fortification Initiative.

In Ghana, Cargill is partnering with CARE on a program that helps improve incomes and quality of life for cocoa farmers and their families. Cargill is collaborating with the University of Notre Dame Haiti Program to establish a salt-fortification venture aimed at halting the spread of Lymphatic Filariasis and preventing Iodine Deficiency Disorder. In Guatemala, Cargill partners with CARE's Integrated Program for Vulnerable Children in Central America (EDUCAN), which works with children and their parents to improve nutritional health. Cargill also supports the nonprofit organization Partners in Food Solutions (PFS) and is among its consortium of food companies working together to link the technical and business expertise of employee volunteers to small and growing food processors and millers in the developing world. PFS is actively involved in projects in SUN countries, including Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi.

Over the last five years, Cargill has contributed more than $55 million to reduce hunger and improve nutrition through partnerships with a diverse group of global, national and local organizations.