OBJECTIVES To explore the nutritional quality of supplementary foods and additional energy consumption by the recipients in a pilot nutrition initiative of BRAC. DESIGN In-depth interviews, observations during feeding at feeding centres, and laboratory analyses of supplementary foods for nutrient contents performed at the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Dhaka, Banglades...

Food-based safety net programs support adequate consumption and contribute to assuring livelihoods. They differ from other safety net programs in that they are tied to the provision of food, either directly, or through cash-like instruments (food stamps, coupons) that may be used to purchase food. Since food provided through a safety net program may be substituted for a household’s current cons...

BACKGROUND Providing a variety of foods has been emphasized as one of the most important features of optimal complementary feeding. This study investigated key beliefs that guide mothers' intention to adherence to dietary diversity in their 1-2-year-old children's complementary feeding. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study involving 290 mothers (mean age = 27, standard deviation = 5.32) w...

In many countries, infant cereals are one of the first foods introduced during the complementary feeding stage. These cereals are usually made with refined cereal flours, even though several health benefits have been linked to the intake of whole grain cereals. Prior evidence suggests that food preferences are developed at early stages of life, and may persist in later childhood and adulthood. ...

Kathryn Dewey and Mary Arimond discuss new research in PLOS Medicine that assesses the effect of blanket provision of ready-to-use supplementary food to children at high risk of malnutrition in Chad, and highlight some of the challenges of investigating the efficacy of supplementary foods for malnourished children.

The kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) is a large, flightless, nocturnal parrot, endemic to New Zealand. It is critically endangered, with a world population of ca. 62 individuals and a male-biased adult sex ratio. The species has a polygynous ‘‘lek’’ mating system and adult males typically weigh 30–40% more than females. The kakapo is subject to intensive conservation efforts, including the provisi...

OBJECTIVE To describe adherence with infant feeding and complementary feeding guidelines. DESIGN Prospective study of infant feeding and complementary feeding practices were collected as part of the Cork BASELINE Birth Cohort Study. SETTING Cork, Ireland. SUBJECTS Data are described for the 823 infants for whom a diary was completed. RESULTS Breast-feeding was initiated in 81 % of infan...