I haven't implemented a project myself just yet but working towards that. Find below links that believe will best inform you about MNPs. I sure believe there is a place for them in public health :) 1) http://www.sghi.org/ [Check the resource centre of the site for publication on MNPs] 2) WHO’s new (2011) guideline on MNPs http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789241502047_eng.pdf Don't forget that Kenya officially endorsed MNPs as a strategy to reduce micronutrient deficiency in late 2011. CDC, UNICEF, and PSI are institutions that you can reach out in Kenya for more on this. Good luck Abel

From Basil Kransdorff: Good Day, Has anybody got an links to any clinical research showing the effectiveness of sprinkles in addressing micro-nutrient deficiencies. I presume that because it has been endorsed by WHO who have created guidelines that this work has been done, Basil Kransdorff

There are quite a few studies. You could start with these journal issues that each contain several. Food and Nutrition Bulletin 2010 Jun;31(2 Suppl):S179-85 Maternal & Child Nutrition 2009 Apr;5(2):151-8 Hope that helps

Surely multi-micronutrient sprinkles are a short term, extremely expensive and highly unsustainable approach to dealing with a nutrition crisis? I accept that they may help in cases where you have access to people for a prolongued period of time and the lack of micronutrients is obvious (in diet and in health indicators generally). But in this case surely it makes more sense to teach people how to grow some basic vegetable or fruits. Soil can be made with rapid compost systems within 3 weeks, and food emerging a few weeks thereafter. Would this not be a wiser approach and a better use of funds? I should stress I'm not a nutrition expert, nor are these necessarily the views of DFID (with whom I work on flood response in Pakistan). But I am supporting a permaculture design programme there to create gardens and fruit orchards for 5,000 families with a view to increase access to micro-nutrients, one of the leading causes of the major nutrition crisis there. But I would be happy to hear all views - including the financial analysis (ie is it the best use of limited funds to buy imported "magic" sprinkles that are finished as soon as the programme ends?).

CDC supported a Sprinkles Project in Nyando, Kenya using beneficiaries of the Safe Water and AIDS Project (SWAP) to reach the communities. An impact study may be available for consideration. Some information is available on line.

Hi all, An excellent new resource is the Home Fortification Network (HF Network), an emerging community of practice created to connect home fortification programme implementers and to provide practical and technical guidance. To join the HF Network, click [url=http://network.hftag.org/t/getting-started-guide/63]here[/url] and set up a user account. Once registered you can post your questions or comments and share your experiences, and participate in more discussions facilitated by implementers in the field. This is an open forum and we welcome all interested individuals to champion this forum; spread the word. And quite exciting, Dr. Stanley Zlotkin from the Sprinkles Global Health Initiative, is online to answer questions related to latest evidence on Micronutrient Powders (MNP). He is an active researcher with more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. He was awarded the HJ Heinz Humanitarian Award in 2001 for his international advocacy work for children globally, the CIHR National Knowledge Translation Award in 2006 and the Order of Canada in 2007 - the highest civilian honour in Canada - for his contributions to improving the lives of children globally. In 2010, Dr. Zlotkin was appointed as the inaugural Chief, Global Child Health. Stan is available all week to facilitate discussion intermittently and will be online (EST) to answer your questions live: February 24: 12-1pm February 26: 12-1pm February 28: 12-1pm Questions that will be addressed include: 1. How do the findings of a recent study in Pakistan affect other projects globally? 2. What is the difference between ready-to-use-therapeutic foods and micronutrient powders? Should they be used in different situations or together? 3. Is it safe to use MNPs in a malaria endemic area? [url=http://network.hftag.org]Join the Conversation here[/url]