A nutrition expert has won the World Food Prize for her innovative work on fish. Dr Shakuntala Thilsted got the coveted prize for her pioneering methods of raising nutrient-rich fish. She also campaigned to add fish to diets in developing countries. The U.S. Secretary of State praised Dr Thilsted for her work. He said she "figured out how these nutrient-rich small fish can be raised locally and inexpensively". He added that, "millions of low-income families...are eating small fish regularly...in everything....The key nutrients in the fish will protect children for a lifetime."
A Nobel Peace Prize winner created the prize. He wanted to recognise scientists who improved the quality of food. The winner of the award gets a $250,000 prize. Dr Thilsted grew up on the island of Trinidad. She understood the nutritional value of fish. She conducted research on malnutrition and fish diets in Bangladesh. She said: "I was able to assess the nutritional composition of small fish species and realized that they were extremely rich in multiple vitamins and minerals." She hopes her award will get more women in developing countries to continue this research.