Vitamin Angels: Focusing on the most vulnerable to make a difference
At the recent SupplySide West show in Las Vegas, Mike Stones talked to Howard Schiffer, president and founder, Vitamin Angels and Jim Hamilton, president, DSM Nutritional Products, North America, about the ability of nutrition to make a huge difference to society.
“The reality is that national governments and multilateral organisations like UNICEF reach about 70 percent of the children in need. Unfortunately, the 30 percent not being reached are the most vulnerable […] so we are focussing on those children,” said Schiffer.
“Just two high dose vitamins can increase their chance of survival by 23 percent - it doesn’t take a lot and costs about 25 cents per child per year,” he added.
Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children, yet continues to cause blindness in up to 500,000 children each year. Vitamin Angels is making a difference, but so much more still needs to be done.
Jim Hamilton, president, DSM Nutritional Products, North America explains why companies such as DSM accept their responsibility to help organizations like Vitamin Angels. “No firm can be successful in a society that fails,” said Hamilton. “We believe that by engaging with products that matter, and with people who care, that is good for business and good for society.”
