Members of Congress Praise Soybean Leaders for World Soy Foundation
Soy Protein Will Reach Around the Globe for Better Health Through Better Nutrition
Washington, D.C …July 17, 2007…Members of Congress are praising soybean industry
leaders for creation of the World Soy Foundation. On July 12, U.S. soybean industry leaders, Members of Congress, international hunger fighting organizations and government officials participated in the inaugural luncheon of the World Soy Foundation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. They shared a meal that represented a school lunch for developing countries where better diets can help transform lives and school feeding programs serve as a powerful incentive for children to attend school.
In conjunction with the rollout, Members of Congress made statements including: "By feeding in schools, we make sure kids come to school because they have a meal waiting for them," said Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) in a pre-recorded video. "We know before we can fill their minds, we have to fill their stomachs. The World Soy Foundation is making sure they have the nutrition that is necessary to give these kids a chance in the world…A lot of people are trying to define who America is to the people who don't know us and the definitions are often times not very complementary. I think that when the United States is involved with this kind of humanitarian work, such as work of the World Soy Foundation, we really define ourselves by the values that we hold dear."
"What your group is doing is great," said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) to luncheon attendees. "I can support it."
"We have what is needed to end world hunger," said Representative Jo Ann Emerson (RMO) who co-chairs the Congressional Hunger Center. "I want to thank you for the commitment you have continued to make."
"The North Dakota soybean industry has boomed in recent years, becoming a reliable source for renewable fuel that will help meet our country's energy needs," said Representative Earl Pomeroy (D-ND). "I commend North Dakota's soybean farmers for their continued innovation in using of one of our state's most plentiful crops, this time to help fight international hunger."
"The World Soy Foundation can be part of the solution to some of the world's greatest problems," said World Soy Foundation chairman Phil Bradshaw, a soybean grower from Illinois. "More than 800 million chronically malnourished people and another 40 million living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) need more protein. The World Soy Foundation can help."
The World Soy Foundation is a charitable organization that works with private voluntary and non-governmental organizations to deliver soy protein and nutrition education to people who need it around the world. Projects sponsored by the World Soy Foundation include complementary foods for children 6-36 months, school feeding programs and soy nutritional services.
These programs can easily incorporate high-protein foods, such as those served at the luncheon. The meal included a groundnut stew made from textured soy protein, a soy "dessert" cookie made with soy-and-wheat flour, and soymilk.
Speakers at the luncheon in Washington, D.C. included House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN), Congressional Hunger Center Co-Chair Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), Adventist Development and Relief Agency President Charles Sandefur, Associate Director of the National Soybean Research Lab at the University of Illinois Pradeep Khanna as well as World Soy Foundation Board member and Soy in Southern Africa Alliance member Peter Golbitz who is president of Soyatech.
The World Soy Foundation is different from the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) Program that U.S. soybean growers also support. While some of the work WISHH did in its early years was humanitarian in nature, the World Soy Foundation expands on that experience, says WISHH Executive Director Jim Hershey. WISHH will continue to work with private companies in developing countries to build demand and markets for U.S. soy products. "By creating the World Soy Foundation, soybean farmers are inviting everyone to take part in helping people improve their diets through educational efforts and select international feeding programs," Hershey said.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: The World Soy Foundation is actively soliciting donations of soybeans and funds for freight for shipments and other activities. For more information, contact Catherine Ndegwa at 314-754-1329 or cndegwa@soy.org.
Contact: Karen Edwards, World Soy Foundation
Phone: 703-281-7600
