Elements of a National Food- Fortification Program for Bangladesh

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Section 5: Elements of a National Food-Fortification ProgramSection 5: Elements of a National Food-Fortification ProgramFood Vehicles and Fortification RegimeOilOil is a most suitable food-fortification vehicle in Bangladesh. Per capita consumption,the structure of the processing industry, and low fortification costs provide a strongrationale for such a conclusion. Analysis of the marketing system for oil indicates thatmandatory fortification would be the optimal option.ConsumptionMustard-seed, soybean, and palm oils are the country’s three major sources of edible oil. Sincemustard-seed oil is not suitable for fortification, the fortification program should concentrate onsoybean oil and palm oil. Per capita consumption of soybean oil and palm oil is both adequateand rapidly increasing. As detailed in section 4, fortified at a minimum vitamin A level of 20mg/kg, consumption of 13g/day/person of oil would supply about 52 percent of EAR — an amountexpected to have a significant biological impact. Per capita consumption increased from 10g/dayin 1999-2000 to 14g/day on average between 2000-2001 and 2002-2003, and rose as high as 17g/day in 2000-2002.Oil is consumed in adequate amounts in both rural and urban areas. Although per capita oilconsumption is higher in urban areas than in rural areas, the difference is not substantial. A2000 household income and expenditure survey (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics 2001) showsthat per capita oil consumption in rural areas is only slightly lower than 90 percent of thenational average (11.24g/day in rural areas and 12.82g/day nationwide).Industry StructureSoybean oil and palm oil, which are imported in an unrefined form, are processed by onlya limited number of producers. Of the 15 active oil producers in Bangladesh, only 3 have anindividual capacity of more than 1000 MT/day, and these producers process 80-90 percent ofall soybean and palm oil imports. Both the size and limited number of producers suggest thatmandatory fortification for oil would be the most-effective strategy.CostAt Tk 223, or $3.81 per MT, oil has the lowest fortification cost among the three commoditiesconsidered — about 20 percent below wheat-flour fortification cost and well below sugarfortification cost. In addition, total fortification costs, including vitamin A, are estimated at 0.46percent of retail price for oil — 0.43 percent for soybean oil, and 0.53 percent of palm oil.Wheat FlourWheat flour is a suitable food-fortification vehicle in Bangladesh. This conclusion is supported bywheat-flour consumption levels and patterns, relatively low fortification costs, and the structure14MOST The USAID Micronutrient Program
Section 5: Elements of a National Food-Fortification Programof the milling industry. As detailed below, thewheat-flour fortification program should relyon roller mills, not on chakki mills and shouldalso be private-sector driven and voluntary.ConsumptionPer capita wheat-flour consumption isestimated at 43g/day. Although per capitawheat-flour consumption in urban areasis higher than in rural areas, per capitaconsumption in rural areas (about 38g/day)is only 15-20 percent lower than the nationalaverage. As explained in section 4, fortificationof wheat flour would supply an adequateamount of about 20 percent of the EAR forvitamin A, iron, folate, B-12, B-1, B-2, B-6,niacin, and zinc.Fortification CostsAs detailed in the previous section,fortification costs for wheat flour are aboutTk293, or $5 per MT, and represent about 1.6percent of retail prices; these figures suggestthat the additional cost of fortification doesnot appear prohibitive to consumers.A Private-Sector-Driven ProgramThe pilot wheat-flour fortification programwas implemented in collaboration with theWorld Food Program (WFP) in support ofthe Vulnerable Group Development (VGD)program. Fortified atta for the VGD programis produced in special chakki mills that havebeen constructed with equipment (includingmicronutrient feeders) imported fromDenmark. These mills are operated by NGOs,under the close supervision of USAID andWFP. While this arrangement may be suitablefor the limited production envisaged under theongoing pilot activity, no mechanism is nowin place that will allow production to expandbeyond the VGD program or to continuebeyond WFP’s current programming cycle.There are two reasons for concluding thatthe current approach of producing fortifiedflour in small chakki mills operated byNGOs is neither institutionally viable noreconomically sustainable under a larger-scaleprogram. First, if the fortification of wheatflour is to expand on a sustainable basis, itmust be embedded in the prevailing flourproductionand -marketing system. Passed onto consumers, the costs of fortification willbe reflected in somewhat higher flour prices.Since the flour market in Bangladesh is drivenby a vibrant and highly competitive privatesector, any flour-fortification program shouldbuild on this private-sector-based structure.Second, due to the small size of thechakki mills, their large number, and theirdistribution in remote and scattered locationsin rural areas, they are difficult to regulate.It should be added that less-refined chakkimillflour contains larger quantities of naturalvitamins and minerals than does the refinedroller-mill maida.A Roller-Mill Driven Manufacturing MethodMilling capacity is a critical factor indetermining the ease and method offortification. Evidence from other countriessuggests fortification at medium (25–150 MT/day) and large mills (>150 MT/day) to bemost appropriate, whereas the feasibility andeffectiveness of fortification at smaller stone orhammer mills has yet to be established. Largemills invariably have more-modern equipmentand a higher technical capacity to integrate thefortification technology. Larger mills can alsomore easily amortize start-up costs and takeadvantage of various economies of scale inproduction and marketing. 6Chakki mills in Bangladesh typically havethe capacity to grind only a few tons of grainper day, whereas the capacity of roller millsranges from 20 to 150 MT/day. The fact thatmany of the roller mills are already usingplastic packaging and engage in advertisingbased on product quality also makes rollermills a logical place to initiate commercialfortification.6 See previous footnoteElements of a National Food-fortification Program for Bangladesh15
Page 1 and 2: Elements of a National Food-Fortifi
Page 3 and 4: Elements of a National Food-Fortifi
Page 5 and 6: Table of Contents and AcronymsTable
Page 7 and 8: Table of Contents and AcronymsAcron
Page 9 and 10: SummaryElements of a National Food-
Page 11 and 12: Section 1: IntroductionSection 1: I
Page 13 and 14: Section 2: Nature of the Micronutri
Page 15 and 16: Section 2: Nature of the Micronutri
Page 17 and 18: Section 3: Potential Food-Fortifica
Page 19 and 20: Section 3: Potential Food-Fortifica
Page 21 and 22: Section 4: Cost Analysis of Food Fo
Page 23: Section 4: Cost Analysis of Food Fo
Page 27 and 28: Section 5: Elements of a National F
Page 29 and 30: ReferencesReferencesBangladesh Bure
Page 31 and 32: Annex TablesAnnex B: Estimated Cost
Page 34: Bangladesh has the necessary human

Elements of a National Food- Fortification Program for Bangladesh

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