'Tajin' as milk substitute

'Tajin' as milk substitute

We refer to a letter that appeared in your paper on March 19,
1998, written by Ms. Ratna Ramanah from Cimahi, West Java, on
using tajin as a substitute for milk. As a part of the United
Nations systems most concerned with infant and young child
nutrition we would like to mention that many young children in
the world grow up without milk because it is either not part of
their culture or they cannot afford it.

For healthy growth children should receive exclusive
breast-feeding for the first 4 to 6 months. Any substitute,
including tajin (thick water from cooked rice), should not be
given. Also, in a period of economic recession the quality of
breast milk remains the best that an infant can get. Studies
demonstrate that exclusively breast-fed children suffer less from
infectious disease, avoiding the need for scarce family resources
to be spent on expensive medicines.

Beyond the age of four to six months breast milk alone does
not any longer supply sufficient energy and vitamins for the
larger child and needs to be complemented by other foods. If
these foods do not include foods of animal origin (meat, eggs,
milk) it is difficult to meet the requirements of the fast
growing child. These products become less affordable during this
period of economic crisis and Unicef is worried that this will
increase the rate of malnutrition in Indonesia. As a rapid
response to the crisis, Unicef is supporting the distribution of
a low-cost industrially prepared complementary food that will be
made available to low income families through the Family Welfare
Movement (PKK).

Under the current circumstances we should be even more careful
to avoid making the mistake to recommend foods such as milk that
are beyond the reach of an increasing number of families. The use
of tajin can therefore play a role, although it will not have the
same nutritional value as milk. Tajin can be the right vehicle to
mix with other foods to make it more nutritious. Because it is
boiled it at least provides a clean source of liquid. Boiled
water should always be used to prepare complementary foods for
our young children.

STEPHEN J. WOODHOUSE

Area Representative

Unicef Indonesia & Malaysia