20 years of Fuelled by Iron
The year 2000 brought many amazing creations: Camera phones, USB sticks, PlayStation 2…but none more exciting or anticipated than the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Fuelled By Iron resource. This year, the Fuelled By Iron Resource turns the big 20 and we are proud to say we have printed and shared more than 1 million copies in that time and had around 15,000 people access the information online.
If you are scratching your head at what this resource is, it’s a booklet for parents on how to ensure their baby or toddler is getting enough dietary iron when they start solids and it includes easy to make iron-rich meals. Iron is an essential nutrient for young ones and at 7-12 months a baby needs more iron than their Dad (1) for healthy growth, development and immunity. At the time this resource was made (and when Britney Spears and the Backstreet boys were having their day in the sun), there was no other readily available, consumer-friendly information out there on why iron is important for babies and toddlers, and how they can get enough into their diet. Fast forward to twenty years on, Fuelled by Iron has been loved and widely shared to new parents by Plunket nurses, midwives and healthcare professionals alike.
Despite the success of this resource, we still have a long way to go in New Zealand to ensure parents know about the importance of iron for their baby or toddler. Alarmingly, 8 out of 10 toddlers do not meet their daily iron recommended intake (2) and 14% of children under the age of 2 are iron deficient (3), which suggests there is more to be done to educate parents. We are waiting on new statistics to indicate whether these figures are getting better or worse, but in the meantime we will continue flying the iron advocacy flag with pride, sharing this valuable resource and iron-rich meal ideas (especially now with the growing popularity of restrictive diets).
If you would like to view the Fuelled by Iron resource online click here and if you would like to order a copy (or a bunch of copies) you can email enquiries@beeflambnz.co.nz. To view our other nutrition resources click here.
Happy World Iron Awareness Week!
References
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand including Recommended Dietary Intakes. Canberra: NHMRC, Wellington: Ministry of Health, 2006
Wall, CR et al. (2008). Ethnic variance in iron status: is it related to dietary intake? Public Health Nutr 12 (9):1413-1421
Grant, CC et al. (2007). Population prevalence and risk factors for iron deficiency in Auckland, New Zealand. J Paediatr Child Health 43: 532-538.