Food aid on ice amid fears
2005-08-04 23:35
Addis Ababa - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday it has suspended the distribution of thousands of tonnes of United States -donated food aid in hunger-hit Ethiopia due to concerns that it may pose health risks.
The decision to pull the 16 000 tons of corn soy blend, a dietary supplement made of cornmeal, soy flour, salt, oil, vitamins and minerals, came after the US suppliers warned that the batch contained excess iron and could be harmful, it said.
"We had no evidence that the over-fortified corn soy blend was life-threatening but as a precaution we removed it from circulation," said Paulette Jones, a spokesperson for the WFP in Ethiopia.
"We did have to delay this food from distribution but we do have contingencies in place," she said, amid concerns that the move could affect millions of at-risk Ethiopians during the country's traditional June-to-September hunger season.
No details about duration of delay
Jones did not say how long the delay would last, but some aid workers said they feared a lengthy postponement in distribution could do more damage than consumption of the corn soy blend in question.
"This supplementary food is the only life-saving measure available for some of the most needy in Ethiopia at the moment, and these delays could have devastating consequences," one aid worker said on condition of anonymity.
The excess iron in the corn soy blend can lead to vomiting and diarrhoea, with extreme cases resulting in death through kidney or heart failure, according to nutritionists.
The WFP currently feeds some 14 million children and mothers in 325 drought-affected districts in the impoverished Horn of Africa nation of 72 million people.