Dairy Trade Plays Key Role In Global Child Development

World Food Day was Oct. 16. This special day commemorates the founding of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a specialized agency that works in more than 130 countries worldwide to defeat hunger.

This year's theme -- "Right to foods for a better life and a better future -- emphasizes that everyone should have access to enough nutritious, diverse, affordable and safe foods. And at no time is this access to high-quality nutrition more important than during a child's first 1,000 days.

This crucial period of rapid development between conception and a child's second birthday sets the stage for a lifetime of health and well-being. During this window of time, proper nutrition plays a pivotal role in developing a baby's brain, body and overall health, so it has a significant impact on setting a child on a path to lifelong wellness.

We should all be invested in ensuring women of childbearing age, pregnant and lactating women, and children are well-nourished. One indispensable component of ensuring that access to nutrient-rich foods is international trade.

This year's FAO State of Agricultural Commodity Markets report will further detail the trade-nutrition relationship, but some preliminary findings released in September acknowledge that "Trade is an integral part of our agrifood systems, where it fulfils a fundamental function: it moves food from surplus to deficit regions, thus contributing to food security globally."

Exports are, in other words, a way to deliver nourishment from regions that produce it to those that need it the most.

The nutritional benefits of dairy

Because certain key nutrients are required to support optimal growth and development in the first 1,000 days, the quality of the mother's and infant's diets are both integral to health. Scientific research has shown that dairy foods like milk, cheese and yogurt are ideal for this period because they provide the nutrients needed for proper brain and body development during pregnancy and after birth.

In a paper advocating for improving nutrition in the first 1,000 days, the American Academy of Pediatrics identified 14 key nutrients for early brain development. Dairy foods provide seven of those 14 nutrients.

One of these nutrients, iodine, is considered an essential nutrient and adequate consumption is critical to support healthy brain development and cognition. Iodine influences brain development from pregnancy through early childhood, and has a significant impact on a baby's potential cognitive capacity. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, iodine deficiency is the single most preventable cause of intellectual disability in the world.

To combat this deficiency in the first 1,000 days, it's important to consume foods that are naturally good sources of iodine such as milk, cheese and yogurt. Dairy foods are some of the top naturally occurring sources of iodine in the diet, but they are often under-consumed by most populations.

Today, health officials consider the underconsumption of iodine a major public health problem worldwide - From Africa and Latin America to the Middle East, Southeast Asia and China, the burden of undernutrition affects different regions across the entire globe.

Many children and women of childbearing age do not have access to the dairy foods that can provide iodine and the other nutrients needed to support a healthy pregnancy and the critical growth period for kids in the first 1,000 days.

In most regions of the world, dairy products are currently under-consumed. Health and nutrition experts have demonstrated that an increase in dairy consumption could improve the diets of pregnant women and children, thereby enhancing growth and developmental outcomes.

Meeting global needs

The U.S. is prepared to provide that dairy nutrition to consumers around the world. Dairy is a cornerstone of nutrition in the first 1,000 days, and as a primary dairy supplier to global markets, the U.S. already plays an important role in delivering nutrients that improve lives during these formative years.

About one in every six tankers of milk that leave the dairy farm end up moving beyond U.S. borders in the form of high-quality milk powder, cheese, dairy proteins and other products to meet the needs of international markets.

With population growth estimates indicating that 9 billion people will need to be nourished globally by 2050, the need for nutritious foods to be delivered to more countries more efficiently will only increase.

Dairy has the power to improve health and development, and improve lives and livelihoods on a global scale. And U.S. dairy exports can help expand access to nutritious, affordable and safe foods to support global nutrition targets, health and wellness—now and for future generations.

We're proud to support international trade that helps provide essential nutrition that fosters global health and wellness and supports women and children's early developmental period during the first 1,000 days and beyond.

Krysta Harden is the President and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council