NGER A LIFE FREE FROM HUNGER - Save the Children

a life free from hunger
THE 2008 COPENHAGEN CONSENSUS RANKED
MICRONUTRIENT FORTIFICATION AND BIO-FORTIFICATION
AS THE 3RD AND 5TH MOST COST-EFFECTIVE
OF ALL DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTIONS.
FOOD FORTIFICATION
While food fortification is not a ‘silver bullet’ solution to tackling malnutrition, it is a
relatively simple, cost-effective and often sustainable intervention with powerful potential
to tackle micronutrient deficiencies. Through strong collaboration between governments,
NGOs and the private sector, different forms of food fortification provide the ability to
target different micronutrient deficiencies in all or specific segments of the population,
including children under the age of two.
In its basic form, fortification is the process of adding vitamins and minerals to food to
boost the amount of a particular micronutrient. 22 It has been a standard practice in many
rich countries for decades – the first salt was iodised in Switzerland in 1922 and the
first flour fortified with iron in the 1940s. 23 In 2009, around a third of the world’s flour
produced in large roller mills was being fortified with iron, folic acid and, in some cases,
other micronutrients. 24 In fact, fortification is so common in developed countries that
it often goes unnoticed. A visit to most supermarkets will reveal that breakfast cereals,
complementary foods or bread often contain added vitamins and minerals.
Fortification can be a cost-effective nutrition intervention and has a high rate of return
on investment. The 2008 Copenhagen Consensus ranked micronutrient fortification
and bio-fortification as the 3rd and 5th most cost-effective of all development
interventions. 25 For example, at an estimated annual cost of $0.5 billion, universal salt
iodization would save an annual $35.7 billion of potential costs attributable to iodine
deficiency, 26 which is the world’s most prevalent, yet easily preventable, cause of
brain damage. 27 Annual investments of around US$4.5 billion would see more than
4.1 billion 28 more people receiving access to fortified wheat, iron, complementary food
and micronutrient powders 29 – costing just over US$1 per person per year.
TYPES OF FORTIFICATION
The type of fortification programme that will be most appropriate and effective in each
country or community will depend on a range of factors, including:
• who is lacking which micronutrients
• poverty levels
• accessibility of the target population
• the nature of traditional diets
• the available infrastructure
• the nature and capacity of food processing and production systems.
There are four types of fortification, which are explained in Table 4 (opposite). Each of
these forms of fortification is examined further below.
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