OPPORTUNITIES FOR CANNED AND FORTIFIED FOODS IN SUPPORT NUTRITION AMONG CHILDREN IN PALESTINE

Abstract

Palestine has been facing food insecurity and malnutrition for years, with indicators of malnutrition in Palestinian children including stunting, wasting, and underweight, which have severe implications for the physical health and intelligence of children. Several factors contribute to cases of malnutrition in Palestine, including damaged infrastructure, limited access to food, and lack of food security and availability of nutritious food. To address the problem of malnutrition, there is an opportunity for canned and fortified foods to support the nutrition of children in Palestine and help achieve the goal of zero hunger. The research method used in this scientific paper uses quantitative descriptive research methods. By analyzing existing research and documents, this paper will provide insight into the opportunities and challenges of using canned and fortified foods to support nutrition in children in Palestine. The prevalence of malnutrition indicators such as stunting, wasting, and underweight among Palestinian children remains a concern, with stunting rates at 8.7% in 2020. As a potential solution, there is an opportunity for canned and fortified foods to support the nutrition of children in Palestine and help achieve the goal of zero hunger, offering an alternative means of providing food aid to the Palestinian people. This paper aims to examine the potential of canned and fortified foods in improving nutrition for children in Palestine. Canned and fortified foods, these innovations are great and have the potential to address the unmet micronutrient needs of vulnerable populations in Palestine. Canned food packaging provides protection and extends shelf life, with studies showing that canned foods can retain nutritional value. Traditional foods like rice, gudeg, kapurung, and tuna fish have been successfully canned to increase their longevity. Fortified foods are an effective strategy for reducing micronutrient deficiencies, with research focusing on various products such as beef cookies, guava jelly drink, fermented red dragon fruit peel drinks, dried tomato pomace, and Moringa leaf biscuits. Both canned food products and fortified foods such as biscuits and other food products have high nutritional value, especially a longer shelf life when compared to fresh products.