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Malnutrition has been a serious concern across the world which is caused due to lack of vital vitamins and minerals in the diet where in majority of the impoverished or poor people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Tackling malnutrition has indeed been a challenge for the government, donors, and the private sector to give their attention to the developmental effectiveness and providing value for money.
Approx. 2 billion people across the globe suffer from anemia which caused due to iron deficiency and iodine deficiency which leads to mental retardation, results in being resistance to the disease, lowering the attention and concentration of children in class rooms, causes death of pregnant mothers, deaths due to diarrhea and million of people go blind each year.
As this problem of malnutrition takes away almost 3% of the country’s GDP, companies need to be very much careful of this fact which in turn affects the consumption pattern of the consumers.
Companies like Coca-Cola and P&G have indeed put much efforts in making their food and beverages rich in vitamins and minerals but the issue in this regards is how firms target the market in terms of the availability of the product, its pricing strategies, the way of promoting and creating awareness among the masses and the convenience of the product.
Thus instead of only focusing upon the Product mix, just like Coke and P&G have dealt with the problem, the firms should target the other marketing mix elements as well to successfully market their goods.
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What additional efforts have been taken up by companies to solve this concern of malnutrition, How has the research and development team of the firms focused on their activities to overcome and fight the economic concern has been the questions in most of the organizations watch list.
Coca-Cola introduced the product named Vitango, which was a powdered drink to be mixed with water and to be consumed as a beverage, the issue was that research did show that there was a huge improvements in certain places where it was introduced but in certain places due to the impurities in the water, it nullified the efforts of the powdered vitango. The firm encountered trouble because of lack of focus in the initial stages of the new product development which it at a later stage went about packaging a ready-to-drink formula for its consumers.
P&G also came out with their own production of Nutridelight which had an element of vitamin A, iron contents and Growth Plus was the main ingredient. But unfortunately it did not sell well in the market as the prices were non – competitive and it did not meet the present market – going rate of the product’s price. It later came with Nutristar which performed good in the market but it would target only the premium group customers as the product was available at only McDonald’s outlet, and in major instances it is the segment of the poor which actually require the product.
Thus again P&G had lack of focus in their strategic implementations. In both the cases mentioned above, the firms lacked focus of their marketing mix factors in terms of the product, price, place or promotional strategies. Analysis: Based on the research carried, both over nourished and under nourished leads to malnutrition and hence poverty and lack of food has been an issue under consideration in certain countries which has symptoms of anemia, diarrhea, disorientation, goiter, lack of coordination and loss of reflexes, scaling and cracking of lips and mouth are terrible consequences faced by the people.
Companies need to provide fortified foods which have the opportunity of adding value and providing economies of scale by lowering upon the prices, developing quality products to enhance trade and competition and reaching out to newer customers that have not been targeted, there by combating the problem of malnutrition of a huge segment of those suffering. Thus malnutrition is a vicious cycle where in an under-nourished or over-nourished person suffers from various diseases and infections which in turn increases the requirement of energy into the body which needs to be fulfilled.
If this demand s not fulfilled it results in malnutrition which further reduces and diminishes the immunity level of the children and elders as well making them more prone to such infections. Recommendations / Solutions to the Problem: To improve the nutritional levels of food, the prior concern should be to increase the income levels where by the quality and the quantitative food intake can be increased. Firms need to focus on consider the following aspects in the formulation of a strategic development in order to combat malnutrition and the poverty line.
Creating awareness among the public on nutritional and health issues: This will help the local poor people to understand the value of health and the benefits of having balanced food habits. ?Increase the income levels there by improving the standard of living: If the purchasing power parity of consumers is increased, the consumption level will also increase leading to adoption of the best food eating methods.
Improve the nutritional and the health status of the society at large. Focus on the rural marketing and distribution methods: rural marketing needs focus especially to instill the seriousness of the deaths and weaknesses which result through malnutrition. Making the product available to them at a reasonable price and at their convenient places will create positive sense of belongingness in the minds of the users.
Organize and develop market surveys to study the general trend of the consumers: Study the market and understand the changing food habits there by promoting the strategies in the manner which clears the issues of resisting and fighting the problem of malnutrition. Train the volunteers and create awareness among the rural sectors. Setting up production and marketing units to cater to the goals and objectives set by companies there by improvising on the nutrition status of the target village or market taken into consideration.
Insufficient nutritious diet plan causes bad physical and psychological development in children, and the problem is more common in the establishing countries than the industrialized countries. Extreme hardship and absence of health awareness in the bad communities cause poor nutrition and appetite in pregnant mothers and their developing children. If the problem is not dealt with prompt with proper medical intervention, it can lead to unfavorable effects, consisting of awful but avoidable death. Reasons for Malnutrition and Its Accompanying Shortage Diseases Sengupta (2009) reported that 42. 5% of children below the age of five years are underweight in India.
This is mostly due to illiteracy, absence of awareness about health and hygiene, and scanty funds for offering a healthy diet plan to the pregnant mothers and their growing kids. Sengupta highlighted that just $ 1. 3 billion were being spent to tackle the huge issue of malnutrition and hunger in a country where 230 million kids are undernourished. According to International Food Policy Research Institute, 83% of Indian females struggle with anemia, and therefore, a baby born from a malnourished mom will be underweight, which is likewise supported by their findings that 33% of children born in India are underweight.
Can such malnourished children endure? Are they more vulnerable to catch infectious diseases than healthy kids? Muller (2005) declared that Kwashiorkar and Marasmus are two major disorders in kids, which are caused by a consumption of diet that is poor in proteins and energy offering foods. The symptoms in a Kwashiorkar impacted kid include swelling of body parts, and it can cause death if not effectively treated; whereas in case of Marasmus, the child can end up being a victim of paralysis if sufficient amounts of proteins and energy are not fed.
Ramani and D’Souza (2006) reported that malnutrition makes the child more vulnerable to other deadly diseases, and accounts for 57% of those deaths in undernourished children due to Malaria, 61% of such fatalities resulting from Diarrhea, and 52% of children’s deaths caused by Pneumonia. Intervention Programs to Combat Deadly Malnutrition After going through detailed analyses of the causes and disastrous consequences of the problem of malnutrition and hunger in India, I would strongly propose a health awareness program at the grass root levels.
I would propose setting up special health care centers for pregnant mothers and infants, which aim to provide both health education and vital food supplements rich in protein and carbohydrates. Sengupta (2009) had also emphasized the need to care for dietary requirements of pregnant mothers, and their children below two years of age. Since it is not possible to provide a nutritious diet to pregnant mothers and their 230 million malnourished children with a petty sanctioned amount of $ 1.
3 billion, I shall write to World Bank, UNICEF, WHO and other international organizations to contribute to the existing development program for feeding pregnant mothers and their malnourished children. Besides suggesting an intake of protein and energy giving foods for tackling Kwashiorkar and Marasmus, I shall also inform them the need of micronutrients, which are available in green and yellow vegetables. How can a malnourished mother give birth to a healthy child? I shall educate, and request the father of the family to give an equal status to the woman by allowing her to eat together with the rest of the family.
According to International Food Policy research Institute, 83% of Indian women suffer from anemia because they eat the residual meals of the family. Conclusion By using a proactive and results-oriented approach, I shall raise funds for educating the individual families to give a nutritious diet to the pregnant mothers and their children.
Fighting Malnutrition has been a concern and a serious issue for all the firms whose main objective has been to develop products which are higher in nutrient level with nutritional supplements. The prior focus should be on whether the food or the beverage should be used as a supplement or as a substitute which in turn will help in strategizing the business processes in a manner which suits the target markets requirements and needs.
Combatting Malnutrition: Corporate Challenges & Solutions. (2016, Nov 25). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/fighting-malnutrition-essay
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