Programs to provide women and children in Bangladesh with vitamin supplements were initially successful. But without frequent reminders, the women often neglected to use the supplements and participation dropped off. Similarly, food enrichment programs are dependent on extra steps. The enhanced nutrients must be added at the community level or purchased after commercial supplementation. These are just two reasons why food that is genetically engineered to increase its nutritional value is more effective in the long run than merely handing out supplements or relying on enrichment of food staples.
Hunger is rampant in the developing world.
An estimated 800 million people go to bed daily on an empty stomach, and there are 40,000 hunger-related deaths every single day. Today hunger is more a problem of inequitable distribution than insufficient production. But still , production is not keeping pace with rapid population growth. The world s population is expected to be 8 billion by 2025. Much of the increase will occur in cities in developing countries where urban populations will triple.