Danish firm launches vitamin-rich gum for 3rd world kids

(Dmitry Melnikov)

A Danish firm has launched Vitamin A-packed chewing gum in Nairobi to help fight malnutrition among children in developing countries, the company said in a statement Thursday.

Each piece of sugar-free gum in a pack of six contains 375 microgrammes of Vitamin A -- a recommended daily dose by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, according to the manufacturer, Gumlink Group.

The gum is targeted at children aged between three and five years among whom Vitamin A deficiency causes blindness and illnesses such as measles and diarrhoea.

The product was launched at a conference on malnutrition earlier this week in Nairobi organised by the Denmark-based think-tank the Copenhagen Consensus Centre.

Gumlink said it was in discussions with the Kenyan government with a view to making the product available on the local market.

oto/hv/nb