Brands
Discover
Events
Newsletter
More

Follow Us

twitterfacebookinstagramyoutube
Youtstory

Brands

Resources

Stories

General

In-Depth

Announcement

Reports

News

Funding

Startup Sectors

Women in tech

Sportstech

Agritech

E-Commerce

Education

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Art & Culture

Travel & Leisure

Curtain Raiser

Wine and Food

YSTV

ADVERTISEMENT
Advertise with us

How a Canadian entrepreneur is solving the world's anaemia problem with a unique Iron Fish

How a Canadian entrepreneur is solving the world's anaemia problem with a unique Iron Fish

Thursday November 03, 2016 , 2 min Read

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world today. Over 2.5 billion people, primarily women, suffer from the problem that leads to tiredness, lack of efficiency, and the constant risk of failure of vital bodily functions, leading to morbidity and death.

Image : (L) - Gavin Armstrong; (R) - Running
Image : (L) - Gavin Armstrong; (R) - Running

To solve the iron-deficiency problem, Dr Gavin Armstrong, a 29-year-old entrepreneur from Canada has come up with a simple health innovation — a Lucky Iron Fish. The cast-iron fish is specifically designed to provide 90 percent of a family's daily iron requirement for up to five years and has proven to be a disruptive innovation in the health sector.

Using the fish is quite simple. All one has to do is boil the iron fish along with any liquid or broth-based meal. Adding a little bit of lime juice helps the process. "The small level of acid will allow the iron to leach off the iron ingot and be absorbed into the liquid," Gavin told thestar.com in an interview. The fish can be taken out and washed once the meal is ready, and is reusable for up to five years.

The concept was initially tested in Cambodia in 2012, where a 50-percent decrease in the incidence of clinical iron deficiency was observed. The product was eventually launched in 2014. While the sales were low initially, today the company sells 100 fish every hour. Over 70,000 fish have already been sold, with another 70,000 in the process of being donated, reports Stamford Advocate.

For his exemplary work in the field of social innovation, Gavin was selected among the Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs of 2016. The Canadian entrepreneur plans to expand his idea across the globe and hopes to create a world where no one suffers from iron deficiency.

Do you have an interesting story to share? Please write to us at [email protected]. To stay updated with more positive news, please connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.