Food Fortification
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Children at a school in South Africa eat foods fortified with micronutrients, part of a program supported by USAID and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition.
Source: GAIN |
Adding vitamins and minerals to processed foods can lead to cost-effective and sustainable improvements in the micronutrient status of populations in developing countries. USAID helps countries introduce and expand the reach of mass fortification of staple foods and condiments with multiple micronutrients. USAID’s strategic approach to mass food fortification involves both the public and private sectors.
USAID implements national food fortification programs through direct support to country programs and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and is a partner in the global initiative to eliminate iodine deficiency.
Mass food fortification programs add specific nutrients (including vitamin A, iron, B vitamins, folic acid, and zinc) to commercially processed staples like wheat flour, condiments, and cooking oil. USAID currently supports mass fortification programs in more than 20 countries, reaching 160 million people. In Africa and Latin America, USAID works regionally to ensure the quality of micronutrient-fortified foods and to strengthen monitoring and evaluation of fortification programs. These efforts have resulted in decreases in micronutrient malnutrition in places like South Africa, where fortification of wheat flour with folic acid (and other micronutrients) led to a 40 percent reduction in spina bifida in newborns. In Uganda, more than 90 percent of the cooking oil available in stores is now fortified with vitamin A. USAID works with the private sector industries and public sector counterparts to introduce and expand the reach of fortification programs to the most vulnerable populations.
Iodine deficiency is the world’s leading cause of preventable mental retardation. In its most severe form, iodine deficiency causes cretinism, stillbirth, and increased infant mortality. Even mild deficiency causes a significant loss of learning ability and cognitive development. The most effective way to combat deficiency is to fortify salt with iodine. With UNICEF, Kiwanis, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID is a partner in the global initiative to eliminate iodine deficiency. Over the past decade, USAID has supported iodine deficiency elimination programs in 41 countries and continues to strengthen salt iodization programs in countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Afghanistan. Globally, more than 70 percent of households are now consuming iodized salt.
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