The American Soybean Association (ASA), a trade group representing 26,000 U.S. soybean farmers, expresses appreciation to the United States Congress and President George W. Bush upon the signing of landmark legislation that recognizes the need to integrate nutrition into international HIV/AIDS programs. ASA contributed soy protein nutritional information prior to passage of the U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003, a $15 billion five-year package that expands U.S. leadership in the global fight of HIV/AIDS.

"ASA strongly supports the efforts of United States government agencies to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in developing countries," said ASA President Dwain Ford, a soybean producer from Kinmundy, Ill. "ASA has urged policy makers and implementers to recognize the role nutrition can play in mitigating the effects of HIV/AIDS on populations in developing countries, and called on the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to increase its nutritional emphasis in dealing with the AIDS pandemic."

At their annual meeting held in March in Charlotte, North Carolina, ASA's voting delegates, a group of more than 100 farmers from across the country, expressed strong support for U.S. food aid programs and urged greater emphasis on the role proper nutrition and protein play in combating HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). An estimated 36.1 million people worldwide have HIV/AIDS. Some African countries have infection rates of 25 to 35 percent of their populations.

"According to a USAID-funded report, HIV/AIDS-infected people may need 50 to 100 percent more protein than uninfected people," Ford said. "Soy is ideally suited to help meet their requirements for protein, calories and more."

Recognizing the value of soy to dramatically increase the protein and nutritional content of many foods, USAID and the United States Department of Agriculture last year approved five soy protein products for use in food aid and emergency feeding programs. This made it possible for food assistance groups, such as Africare and the World Food Programme, to request defatted soy flour, textured soy protein, soy protein concentrates, isolated soy protein and soy milk replacer through the Food for Peace Program administered by USAID. These products can be formulated into many traditional foods, thereby delivering superior nutrition to people without dramatically changing the kinds of foods they eat.

The new initiative includes care for 2 million people living with the virus and 10 million orphans affected by the pandemic in 14 African and Caribbean countries. Addressing nutritional needs will be a key factor in treatment programs, especially where anti-HIV drugs are initiated.

"This legislation is a breakthrough because it calls for the U.S. Agency for International Development to include nutrition components in HIV/AIDS programs, and soy is well-suited to make those programs succeed," Ford said. "The integration of nutrition into treatment programs may make the difference between success and failure in many of the countries targeted to receive the assistance funded by this bill."