Large-scale food fortification has been identified as solution to malnutrition, especially in Nigeria – a country with a large population and high rate of malnutrition and under-nutrition.
The Country Director of TechnoServe, a non-governmental organisation, Adesuwa Akinboro, who disclosed this during the 2023 Nigeria Agrofood and Plastprintpack conference in Lagos, said it is one of the most cost-effective ways of ensuring it benefits a large population of people.
To encourage players in the food and agro-allied industry, who have contributed immensely to food fortification, TechnoServe awarded some firms, that have constantly fortified their products with essential micronutrients.
During the second edition of the Micronutrients Fortification Index (MFI) awards, held as part of the conference, products of Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN), Raffles, PZ Wilmar, Crown Flour Mills, Olam and Dufil Foods, made the top 10 of the 2023 MFI awards.
Among the 10 top brands listed, five got recognition. FMN won the first and second positions with its – Classic All Purpose Flour and Golden Penny Prime Flour; Dufil Foods won the third position with its Power Oil and PZ Wilmar came fourth and fifth with its Devon King’s Oil and Mamador Oil.
Akinboro said, “Today we are recognising private companies that have adhered to fortification standards and maintained improved food fortification compliance levels.
“MFI is designed to mainly to incentivise private sector companies to fortify their products for three main reasons – public recognition, providing a level playing field for all companies to ensure fortification compliance and incentivising companies to improve and maintain high fortification standards.”
She noted that TechnoServe through its market-based and industry-led Programme – Strengthening African Processors of Fortified Foods (SAPFF), worked with partners to redefine the unsatisfactory narrative of large-scale food fortification in the country.
According to her, SAPFF has since evolved into the Technical Assistance Acceleration Programme (TAAP) project, which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to work with global supply chain partners in the food fortification space to create a platform for private-public partnerships that will drive sustainability of large-scale fortification.
The Director at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Jeremie Zoungrana, said the foundation believes that improving nutrition is one of the most effective tools to ensure that Nigeria’s 200 million people live a healthy and productive life.
“This is why we have heavily invested in fortification and nutrition incentives over the years with a growing focus on Nigeria. We have begun to see the impact on our investment in Nigeria, especially the MFI – which has made significant improvement in fortification practices and commitments,” he added.
He explained that MFI is an innovative mechanism developed by TechnoServe to support the food industry in self-regulating, thus improving fortification compliance. He commended all participating firms of the MFI initiative.
“You truly serve as a remarkable example of how food processors can effectively come together to advance strategy in an inclusive transparency in uplifting the wellbeing of Nigerians.”
TechnoServe’s Regional Director for West Africa, Larry Umunna, said TechnoServe is an international organisation that believes in the power to transform lives.
He noted that Nigeria does not have good statistics when it comes to nutrition as about 22 per cent of children under-five are stunted, adding that two out of every five children in Nigeria do not have access to quality nutritious food.
Source : The Guardian
