New Zealand woman makes faux pas

A New Zealand woman plans to send 6,000 packs of dehydrated dog food powder to starving children in Rusinga Island on Kenya's Lake Victoria as part of a relief effort for the area's starving children.

Kenya has declared a national disaster because of the food shortages, which follow poor rains across the north. There are four million people in Kenya who are in need of food aid.

Christine Drummond
Mighty Mix Inventor & Founder

Christine Drummond, the founder of the company which makes Mighty Mix dog biscuits said she originally wanted to send dog biscuits but when she heard how many people needed food aid, she decided to send 42 tons of powdered meal, the recipe of which has been modified for humans.

The powder, which just needs to be mixed with water is "a high-powered food full of nutrients," she said. "It tastes yummy." She even sprinkles some of the "nutritional supplement" on her porridge every morning.

She said it was made of freeze-dried beef, mutton, pork, chicken, deer velvet, green lip mussels, kelp, garlic, eggs, whole grain cereals and flax-seed flour - the same ingredients she puts into her company's dog biscuits.

"Kenyan children are not in such shortage of food to resort to eating dog food," Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua said. He added that any food aid must be up to standard.

Kenyan Director of Medical Services Dr James Nyikal, agreed, saying: "There is no way that the ministry can allow dog food mixture to be brought in for human consumption."

In Canterbury, New Zealand, Mighty Mix dog food agent Gaynor Siviter said that if the dog food mixture helped the Kenyan children as it helped dogs, it would be "marvellous."

"The dogs thrive on it. They have energy, put on weight. It's bizarre but if it's edible and it works for these people then it's a brilliant idea. It beats eating rice."

Oxfam New Zealand executive director Barry Coates said he had not heard of the scheme but it was unlikely to achieve the desired outcome.

As many as 12 million people need food aid across southern Africa, after a lack of rain last year exacerbated by a systematic crisis.

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