VietNamNet Bridge – This is the result of a two-year survey at enterprises in industrial zones in HCM City.
Doctor Do Thi Ngoc Diep, director of the HCM City Nutrition Center said that of nearly 1,000 workers who participated in the survey, up to 29.6 percent were malnourished.

Diep said deficiency in vitamins and minerals is alarming. “Many workers are deficient in vitamins of the B group. Around 20 percent of them have anemia and over 70 percent are in iodine deficiency.”

According to the survey, deficiency in vitamins and mineral among workers is due to poor knowledge of nutrition of workers. “Only 25 percent of workers correctly answered questions about basic knowledge of nutrition,” Diep said.

Many workers say that they are getting thinner because they are too tired and do not want to eat, or they do not know how to eat with sufficient nutrition. Workers at private companies complain that meals at work are not enough. Some workers say low income directly hit their daily meals.

“Our wage is approximately VND2 million ($97) a month. We cannot afford to buy good food,” say Huyen, Thuy and Ha, workers at a garment company in District 7, HCM City.

Doctors said that hearty meals may be not good for health. With a good knowledge of nutrition, workers can still choose food that is cheap but good for their health.

Thuy Ngoc