A charity action aimed to improve nutrition for infants and young children in poor areas was held in Qionglai of Chengdu, Sichuan Province on Nov 7.

Themed “Balanced Nutrition, Healthy Growth,” the action was held by China Children and Teenagers’ Fund (CCTF), Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Food Fortification Office, and Carrefour Fundation.

Zhu Xisheng, secretary-general of the CCTF, gives a speech.

The action was an extension activity of the National Project of Improving Children's Nutrition in Poor Areas. It provides infants and young children aged 6-24 months in poor areas in Sichuan and Guizhou Provinces with nutrition packs consisting of protein, vitamin, and minerals.

Carrefour Foundation offered 540 nutrition packs for the action in Sichuan and Guizhou, and will support nutrition improvement effects monitoring and assessment for the two regions.

Carrefour volunteers are sending nutrition packs.

Hervé Gomichon, Carrefour Group’s Quality and Sustainable Development Director, gives a speech.

The Project of Improving Children's Nutrition in Poor Areas is a national project implemented by the National Health and Family Planning Commission. It provides free nutrition packs for infants and young children aged 6-24 months to prevent their malnutrition and anemia and improve their health in poor areas. Launched in 2012, the project so far has covered 422 counties in 21 provinces, helping improve the nutrition status of infants and young children and reduce their prevalence of anemia to 6.8 percent from 10.1 percent in 2012, and the rate of growth retardation dropped from 32.9 percent to 19.8 percent.