DENVER (July 27, 2010)—Representatives from leading private volunteer organizations (PVOs) are gathering in Idaho Falls, Idaho, from July 28-31 to participate in a United States Potato Board (USPB) workshop on incorporating US dehydrated potatoes into food distribution programs. The event is the most recent activity carried out by the USPB’s International Food Assistance Initiative (IFAI), which has worked steadily to create demand for US dehydrated potato products among PVOs and other organizations that distribute food as a part of their programming.
The July 2010 workshop targets international and headquarters personnel from PVOs and will be attended by representatives from Africare, Counterpart International, International Partnership for Human Development, Joint Aid Management, Shelter for Life, and World Vision.
During this workshop, PVOs utilizing US dehy in their programs will relate their experiences and expand on the advantages of US dehy in food programming.
“PVOs that have previously partnered with the USPB to distribute US dehydrated potato products have found them an excellent fit for food assistance needs due to their nutrition, versatility, fuel efficiency and ease of use,” commented TK Kuwahara, International Marketing Manager for Dehy with the USPB. “Who better to tell the story of how well dehy works in food programming than PVOs that have already tried it?”
Presentations will be shared for:
• School Feeding in Senegal
• HIV/AIDS and Child Health in Burkina Faso
• Fortified Dehy Pilot in Zambia
• Emergency/Disaster Relief in Haiti
The workshop will also present the latest developments in dehy-based fortified blended food products, as more PVOs take advantage of specialty products that are blended to specifically address the needs of a targeted population. Feed My Starving Children has developed and tested a product called Manna Pack™ Potato and will share its experiences, including:
• Results from their clinical trial of Manna Pack™ Potato-D, a product they developed to address diarrhea in vulnerable children
• Launching Manna Pack™ Potato-W, a new product they designed to meet needs and criteria for weaning foods
Workshop participants will meet and work with a range of expert personnel ranging from growers and processors to food technologists while visiting a fresh pack facility and a dehydrated potato processing plant. They will also participate in a field simulation to experience the advantages of dehy first-hand.
After the workshop, participants will travel on to the USAID/USDA International Food Aid and Development Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, where they will attend the conference and present their new-found dehy knowledge to their organization’s colleagues at the USPB farewell dinner event.
Past PVO workshops have led directly to the inclusion of dehydrated potatoes in food programming. To date, 9,220 MT (1,321,457 cwt fresh weight equivalent) of dehydrated potatoes worth $8.8 million have been purchased through international food assistance efforts as a direct result of USPB activities.
Source: USPB