Torsten Posted February 1, 2006 This is a bizarre story. One one hand the image of dogfood being fed to kids in any part of the world is disturbing, but when you look a bit deeper and cast aside preconceptions then you might see this issue in a very different light. Kenya is in the middle of a drought, and even though it has good logistical systems, people are still starving. The problem is that the food they get is not enough and is too poor in quality to really nourish growing bodies. So this NS woman put some thought into it and decided to offer a donation of high protein, high mineral, and high other nutrients dried food that she manufactures for dog food. Given that controls for dog meat in NZ are very high it is likely that her product actually exceeds Kenyan human food standards laws. And it certainly exceeds the standard of food these starving families would have. So, I was having real problems understanding what all the fuss is about. Well, until I read the second article, which puts the whole thing into perspective. I find the fact that the government can afford $7 million for new Mercedes cars much more sickening than the idea of providing sustenance to kids that is not specifically designed (but apparently suitable) for human consumption. ======================================== Kenya outraged by Kiwi 'dog food' relief Tue Jan 31, 12:34 PM ET Officials in drought-stricken Kenya recoiled with outrage to a plan by a New Zealand woman to send "dog food" for starving children, even as she said the product was fit for human consumption. Describing the idea as "absurd," "insulting," "offensive" and "immoral," officials vehemently rejected the donation for children threatened by famine and said they would put measures in place to prevent any similar assistance. The would-be donor, Christine Drummond, has told the New Zealand media her donation differed from the pet food, though made with the same ingredients, and she and her children eat it. "It is immoral, it is unacceptable," said Special Programmes Minister John Munyes, who is coordinating the government's response to the drought that has put up to four million people in the east African nation at risk of starvation. "I am very much offended, it is in bad taste," he told AFP. "It is unacceptable and we should not even be discussing such a demeaning thing." "Even if we have famine in this corner of the world, it does not reduce us to dogs," said Colonel Shem Amadi, the head of Kenya's National Operations Centre, an emergency response unit in President Mwai Kibaki's office. "People from that corner of the world have no respect for some of us," he told AFP. "Oh no, it is horrible, it is terrible," said Khadija Abdalla, head of the Garrisa Provincial Hospital in one of the worst-hit areas of northeast Kenya where at least 40 people have died since December of drought-related causes. "It is insulting us because we are poor," she told AFP. "We appreciate when people are willing to help us, but they should be sensitive about our culture,"government spokesman Alfred Mutua. "Telling us that you are giving us food for dogs in our culture is an insult of the highest order," he told AFP. "Maybe, she was trying to help, but I hope this offer is a result of naivety." The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights condemned the offer as a degrading assault on the dignity of the country's children. "What message is created when one decides to feed starving children dog food?" it said. "It dehumanizes and degrades the children who are the intended beneficiaries. It makes no allowance for human dignity which revolts at the idea of eating a foodstuff created and intended for animals." The outcry began when Nairobi's leading Daily Nation picked up a report about the offer of 6,000 packets of powdered dog food from The Press newspaper in Christchurch, New Zealand and splashed it across its front page. Under the headline "For starving children of Kenya, 42 tons of dog food ..." the Nation heaped scorn on the scheme presented to the New Zealand paper by Drummond, the founder of Mighty Mix dog food. In an interview with Television New Zealand late on Monday, Drummond said the relief, NZ's Raw Dry Nourish, is fit for humans. Both she and her children used it, but she allowed it contains the same ingredients as Mighty Mix dog biscuits. The Press quoted her as saying she initially thought of sending biscuits to Kenya but decided against it when she discovered the need. "The first plan was to send dog biscuits and change the vitamins then when I heard there were so many little children I could not send them a bicky," The Press quoted her as saying. So she created a powdered form of the ingredients -- freeze-dried beef, mutton, pork and chicken, deer velvet, green lip mussel, kelp, garlic, egg, whole grain cereals and cold-pressed flax seed flour -- to mix with water. "The dogs thrive on it," Mighty Mix agent Gaynor Siviter told The Press. "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." ======================================== Kenya condemned over £7m vehicle fleet Jeevan Vasagar in Nairobi Tuesday January 31, 2006 Guardian The Kenyan government, already embroiled in a corruption scandal involving claims against senior members of the cabinet, spent nearly £7m on new cars for ministers, top civil servants and judges in its first two years in power, says a report published yesterday. The same amount would have put 25,000 Kenyan children through school for eight years. President Mwai Kibaki's government, which won power after pledging to fight poverty and corruption, bought a fleet of vehicles including 57 Mercedes limousines and 42 Toyota Land Cruisers and other 4x4s. Nearly half the amount was spent on the German luxury marque, such a ubiquitous symbol of privilege in Africa that it has inspired the mocking Swahili word Wabenzi - meaning the tribe of those who drive Mercedes Benz. Human rights groups criticised such extravagance at a time when most of Kenya's 32 million people cannot afford a decent meal. Drought has pushed 4 million Kenyans to near starvation, forcing President Kibaki to appeal for aid. "Conspicuous consumption makes a mockery of poverty alleviation efforts, besides creating resentment in society," the report said. "Additionally, the line between wasteful expenditure and grand corruption is very thin and because of this senior government officials continue to be perceived as corrupt." The report, entitled Living Large: Counting the Cost of Official Extravagance in Kenya, was released by the anti-corruption pressure group Transparency International Kenya, and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. The report was particularly scathing about the justice ministry which it said had spent £646,000 on 13 Mercedes cars for the high court - enough to have fed, clothed and sheltered 5,500 Kenyans for a year and more than the government in Kenya spent fighting malaria in the whole of 2003-04, the report said. "The part that's annoying is that they have come in on a platform of change, but they have shown the same extravagance, the same disrespect of the people as the previous regime," Maina Kiai, the chairman of the Kenya national commission on human rights, told Reuters. The Kenyan president faces a political crisis, with mounting calls for him to resign after corruption allegations involving cabinet allies. Kenya's former anti-corruption tsar John Githongo accuses the vice-president, two ministers and one former minister of being complicit in a plot to steal £400m from the treasury. Mr Githongo asserts that the president knew about the alleged fraud. 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Amulte Posted February 1, 2006 dog food aint that bad, ive eaten it before. some will make you sick but the more expensive brands are really good and dirt cheap. i dont make a habbit of it now but when i was younger than i am now and mis spent money i kinda had to for a bit. ive even eaten 6 month old chinese food i found in the back of the fridge. mixed it with two eggs and fried it in the microwave for 30 mins. got a nice crunchy 'bicy' that tasted great and did not make me sick. cook it enough and you kill any fungi or bacteria, then eat in good health. i live by the old saying "beggers cant be choosers" and quote it everyday...sad but true. but in the same token i can understand the 'cultural' offensivness they may find from the offer. but that is NO justification of their mis spending of funds. makes me glad to be here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Dude Posted February 1, 2006 The only offensiveness comes from the Title 'dog food' had it been called 'powderised meat and garlic n stuff' would there have been any fuss? Then there is also the question of whether it is of a standard for human consumption. True the nz-er may eat it with her kids but it's possible the food would be harmful to kenyans who have a different diet. But really I don't know. If it's healthy then why the hell not. Don't let pride get in the way of surviving! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Auxin Posted February 1, 2006 The outrage is likely only felt by well fed businessmen and government fat-cats, the ones driving luxury cars bought with the blood of children. Get that food into the hands of the starving and I have no doubt the vast majority would be very appreciative- I know I would. If it offends some they can refuse to eat it. Sure it has the same ingredients as dog food but Hello- Pizza and cheeseburgers have many of the common ingredients of dog food! The Kenyan government clearly doesnt represent the needs of the people, anyone want to go overthrow a cruel regime? :ph34r: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spiders Posted February 2, 2006 it worked for Iggy Pop Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rev Posted February 4, 2006 to make matter worse T look at the article again its 7 million pounds not $ Its about pride the pride of bureaucrats im sure the starving people would not care i would not care Ive already eaten bait, and i used to eat the dog chocs with the dog when i was a kid and training it the cats out of the bag these things wont kill you shock horror in fact they taste good honestly i would probably prefer to eat some brands of dog food than i would anything made by STAG Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerbil Posted February 4, 2006 wow 7mil pounds that's disgusting. hmm where's the US and their moral stance on liberating the people? ahh that's right much more oil in the mid east, they'll just send africa truck loads of weapons instead. Dog chocs are just karob yeah? Went threw a few boxes of them as a kid, even occasionally munch on the corner or a dog biscuit now and then these days when playing with the parpy dog mmm wheaty I convulse even walking past the stag cans in the shops, looks like it'll come bursting out your stomach with fangs drawn soon after ingestion. I didn't catch the lady being interviewed on ABC radio, though my mum mentioned that she didn't really do herself any favours, apparently quite a bad interview, yet still cleared up a few of the misconceptions about it all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyAmine. Posted February 6, 2006 Put it in a can that says "Powdered Spam, New Garlic Flavour!" and even the gov officials would be stuffing it down! I dont see much diference in the ingedients either.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
