New egg foundation to help tackle global hunger

A new charitable foundation has been launched by the International Egg Commission at its spring conference in Vienna, intended to provide people in developing countries with greater access to eggs.
The International Egg Foundation (IEF), as the new body is called, aims to help combat malnutrition and provide undernourished people with access to a sustainable diet.
Figures from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization show that 870m people suffer from chronic hunger globally, including 171m children under five years old.
“A lack of access to high-quality protein is a major problem for many people living in developing countries,” said Bart Jan Krouwel (pictured), chairman of the new foundation.
“Eggs have two key advantages when it comes to helping to improve diets – they are one of the most accessible forms of high-quality protein and they have a low carbon footprint, making them a truly sustainable option.”
The IEF will work with leading charities, universities and egg businesses around the world to provide financial support and technical advice to increase egg production in developing countries.
It will provide technical advice, as well as financial assistance to farmers and entrepreneurs, to help them increase their own local egg production.
“As well as providing access to food, small-scale egg production schemes have been proven to help people in developing countries achieve financial independence and increase their social standing,” added Mr Krouwel. “They have also proven highly successful in encouraging a sense of community in refugee situations.”
For a full report on the IEC conference check out the May issue of Poultry World