WFP blended food arrives

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)