A SUCCESSFUL PERUVIAN

A Peruvian agro-engineer developed a cookie that increases hemoglobin levels to help fight
anemia.

Julio Joel Garay Barrios is an agro-engineer from the National University of San Cristóbal
de Huamanga. His project began three years ago when he realized that in the community
of Quimpitiriky, in Ayacucho, the rate of childhood anemia was one of the highest in Peru.
This was surprising because the place has fertile soils for the cultivation of banana, corn
and cocoa.

“At that time, Garay was preparing his thesis to graduate as an agro-industrial engineer at
the National University of San Cristóbal de Huamanga. Before beginning his research, he
knew that the children had a hemoglobin level between 8 and 10 g / dL (Danger level). This
motivated him to develop a product to combat this deficiency.”

The product that Garay developed is cookies based on quinoa, bovine blood, kiwicha and
cocoa. “According to an accredited laboratory in Lima, 100 grams of these cookies contain
20 mg of iron, one of the highest in the market for this type of product.

In pilot tests in Peru, children from three to six years old ate the cookies every day for 30
days and increased levels of hemoglobin in their blood systems to 14 and 16 g / dL. For
this reason, authorized distribution centers around Peru distribute Nutri H cookies. The
cookies are also included in municipal and regional government campaigns against child
anemia.

Almost 50% of Peruvian children suffer from anemia. Anemia is a condition that often arises
from iron and vitamin deficiency and has serious consequences for children. It causes poor
academic performance because children with anemia tend to be tired and have a hard time
focusing on classes. Psychomotor development is also affected. The immune system
becomes weak, and children are at greater risk for catching infections.

The proportion of anemic children in Peru fell from 46,1 to 41,1 % from 2018 to 2019,
according to data by the National Institute of Statistics and Computer Science of Peru.
Experts attribute the slight drop to government prevention campaigns.

Julio Garay himself suffered from anemia when he was a child. This was a good reason for
him to seek a solution.