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1. Iron deficiency is the most common and widespread micronutrient deficiency in the world. In infants and young children, diets with inadequate levels of iron impair physical growth, mental development, and learning capacity. (WHO, 2007)
2. Approximately 40 percent of all infants in the developing world are iron deficient. (The Micronutrient Initiative, 2007).
3. Iron deficiency is a main cause of anemia, a condition in which the blood contains low levels of red blood cells. More than two billion people worldwide are anemic, mostly due to iron deficiency. (HarvestPlus, 2007)
4. An estimated four out of ten pre-school children in developing countries are anemic. (WHO, 2007)
5. Anemia affects an estimated 60 percent of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa, 19 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean, 76 percent in South Asia, and 40 percent in East Asia and the Pacific region. (United Nations' Population Division, 2000; WHO, 2004)

1. Vitamin A is essential for the human immune system to function well and can help increase resistance to disease and improve chances for survival, growth, and development. Severe Vitamin A deficiency can cause diseases of the eye leading to blindness during early childhood. (WHO, 2007)
2. Approximately 100 million children worldwide are Vitamin A deficient. (UNICEF, 2007)
3. Vitamin A deficiency affects an estimated 42 percent of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa, 17 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean, 33 percent in South and Southeast Asia, and 14 percent in the Western Pacific region. (United Nations University, Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 28:1, 2007 and 26:4, 2005)

1. The human body relies on zinc to heal wounds, grow and repair body tissue, and properly clot blood. Severely malnourished children or those with persistent diarrhea or respiratory problems may be zinc deficient. (GAIN, 2007)
2. Approximately 2 billion people remain at risk of zinc deficiency. Globally, zinc deficiency contributes to approximately 800,000 child deaths per year. (The Micronutrient Initiative, 2007)
3. Zinc deficiency affects an estimated 68 percent of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa, 46 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 61 percent in Asia. (The Micronutrient Initiative, 2000)