In the same week that celebrity chefs signed a letter urging the Government to take action against malnutrition, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Nutrition for Development and representatives from United Against Malnutrition & Hunger visited the Norwich Research Park, to see how scientists are finding homegrown scientific innovations to help solve this longstanding local and global problem.
Malnutrition is a serious condition that happens when your diet does not contain the right amount of nutrients. Malnutrition in a pregnancy and a child's early childhood can stunt physical growth and brain development, causing irreversible damage.
The cause of malnutrition isn't always about the quantity or availability of food, as it can be due to the low quality of food being consumed. You may eat enough food to feel full, but the nutritional value of the food you eat may not provide you enough nutrients.
Malnutrition rates locally in Norfolk were in the news throughout last year, with a report claiming that Norfolk and Waveney area has one of the highest rate of malnutrition in the entire country.
Scientists from across the Norwich Research Park are working hard on ways to combat malnutrition, and showed visiting attendees some of their groundbreaking work. This included Vitamin B12 fortified pea shoots with Professor Antony Dodd, and tackling wheat rust via the MARPLE diagnostics system with Professor Diane Saunders OBE, both group leaders at the John Innes Centre.
Professor Graham Moore FRS, Director at the John Innes Centre, said: "Our vision is Healthy Plants, Healthy People, Healthy Planet, and we believe in trying to make the foods that people already eat healthier, with a view to improving public health through nutrition.
"We are committed to doing all we can to provide the science to help support the population of the UK and the world with food that is sustainable but also higher quality."
Professor Cathie Martin FRS, group leader at the John Innes Centre, is particularly interested in biofortification and using plant metabolic engineering to enhance foods nutritionally to improve the human diet and health, and said: "I have always believed that food is healthcare; nutritious food keeps us well, it can prevent disease and promote healthy development and ageing. It really is vital, and the science we are doing is tapping into that power to transform lives.
"Much of my work has been undertaken in tomatoes, enriching their nutrient content with, for example, provitamin D3 and anthocyanins. Think of it as supercharging the food you eat, with its own vitamin supplement."
The Biofortification Hub at the Norwich Research Park, in which Cathie is a lead scientist alongside Professor Martin Warren from the Quadram Institute, is one of six Diet and Health Open Innovation Research Club (OIRC) innovation hubs in the UK. This partnership between the John Innes Centre and the Quadram Institute combines expertise in soil, crop genetics, food innovation, human health and nutrition, and works closely on the biofortification of food and feed crops with farmers, food producers and retailers across the supply chain.
In relation to the Biofortification Hub, members of the APPG also heard presentations from Quadram Institute interim Director Professor Martin Warren and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital consultant paediatric endocrinologist Dr Emma Webb, on the significant impact of micronutrient deficiency on the health of children who are obese.
United Against Malnutrition & Hunger is an alliance for global action on malnutrition and hunger, and stands with the John Innes Centre on the importance of preventing malnutrition and the role science can play in solving it. It is also the Secretariat for the APPG on Nutrition for Development.
David Mundell MP, the APPG's Co-Chair, said: "As I saw first-hand, the John Innes Centre is at the forefront of the fight against hunger and malnutrition, with British-based experts working on ways to maximise the nutritional quality of crops and ensuring they remain affordable.
"A healthy and productive life starts with a reliable and nutritious diet and so, in my view, nutrition is the cornerstone of development. And as repeated studies show, any investment in it is returned many times over."
The Norwich Research Park is one of five BBSRC-funded UK Research and Innovation Campuses, and brings together four independent, internationally-renowned research institutes: the John Innes Centre, Quadram Institute, Earlham Institute and The Sainsbury Laboratory; with the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH).
It is the only site with three BBSRC funded research Institutes, and is one of the largest single-site concentrations of research in food, genomics and health in Europe, making it well placed to take on this research.
