WFP blended food arrives

JAKARTA (JP): The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) announced on Thursday the arrival of the first 200 tons of a 8,660-ton consignment of blended food for Indonesia as part of its overall package of food assistance.

WFP said in a statement that the blended food, valued at over US$4 million, is a grant from the people of the United States. It is a mixture of wheat and soybean flour, fortified with vitamins and minerals.

The blended food, intended for infants and pregnant and nursing women, will be supplied to communities most adversely affected by drought and the current economic crisis in seven provinces in eastern Indonesia.

Distribution of the blended food will be undertaken by the health ministry and will be monitored by WFP.

WFP, however, did not mention in which city the shipment would arrive.

WFP said its current emergency operations in Indonesia, which started last July, involved more than 225,000 tons of foodstuffs (mostly rice) valued at over $90 million.

It added that its food aid was primarily issued through food- for-work projects that are designed to encourage self-dependency while meeting the nutritional needs of the recipients. (gis)