Complementary food

Complementary food

We are highly appreciative of the coverage that you provide to
issues regarding women and children, and wish to thank you for
providing front page pictorial coverage of the launch of the
Complementary Food Initiative which is being undertaken by the
government of Indonesia with Unicef support.

While we have always valued the high quality of your
reporting, we found your pictorial coverage of the event to be
inaccurate. You described the program as one which distributes
free milk, when in fact the initiative is designed to provide
complementary low-cost nutritious food fortified with vitamins
and nutrients like iron and zinc to children aged between six and
24 months.

Such food has been made available to families with children
within that age range at a price of Rp 500 per 500 gram pack
through Posyandu (integrated health service posts) in selected
areas. Proceeds from the highly subsidized food packets will be
used to fund a PKK (Family Welfare Movement) program to educate
people on how to provide nutritious food to infants and young
children using local produce.

I hope this clarification will provide your readers with a
better picture of our efforts to help poor families during this
very difficult period.

DARADJAT A. NATANAGARA

(Acting) Senior Program Officer/

Component Chief, ASM

Unicef Indonesia