WISHH : News

Salesian Missions and Counterpart International sent representatives to the WISHH workshop on August 13-15 to allow the groups to explore greater roles for high-protein soy products in their programs that are already introducing the products in Cambodia and Senegal.

Cambodia and the West African country of Senegal are literally oceans apart, but soy is now boosting children's diets in both places through the efforts of two international hunger fighting organizations. The World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) program has helped both groups, Salesian Missions and Counterpart International, with their technical questions on product use and more. The need for such efforts is key as an estimated 120 million school-age children around the world are not enrolled in school, in part because of hunger or malnutrition.

After meeting with WISHH and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) representatives, the Catholic organization Salesian Missions requested 390 metric tons of textured soy protein (TSP) from a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food assistance program. USDA approved the request this summer. The product should arrive in Cambodia before the end of the year where it will be part of Salesian's 365-day-a-year school feeding program that not only gives kids good nutrition that benefits learning, it will encourage them to attend school in the first place.

Ernest Kuhn of Salesian Missions is confident that the soy protein will be popular with the kids because he conducted trials with product donated by ADM before submitting the proposal to USDA. The addition of the soy provided the protein the kids needed, but it didn't change the taste when added to the rice and vegetable dishes offered by Salesian Missions. In addition, 230 metric tons of U.S. soybeans, part of a previous food aid grant, were provided to school children who ate the roasted beans as a supplementary school snack. Salesian Missions has sold 2,200 metric tons of soybean oil (sale approved by the U.S. government) with the proceeds put back into the feeding program. Forty metric tons of soybean oil is also being used in the feeding initiative.

Even though the foods eaten in West Africa are far different than those in Cambodia, Counterpart International is also finding the benefits of soy for its protein as well as its ability to blend well with locally available foods that are already popular. Last May, WISHH sent Megan Puzey of the National Soybean Research Laboratory to assist Counterpart with a pilot study in five schools. WISHH has provided 2.8 metric tons of soy protein isolate and 3.2 metric tons of textured soy protein that has blended well in tomato sauces that were served over soy-fortified bulgar. The success of the pilot project will assist Counterpart International in its larger feeding programs that are already approved and will encourage them to request soy proteins in future proposals.

WISHH News