Nigeria has attained 75 per cent fortified food compliance, up from the 50 per cent in 2018. The government and its partners, including the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have set a 90 per cent target for 2020. Will they succeed? ROBERT EGBE examines the action plan.

 

The stats do not look good

The 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) found that 37 per cent of children aged 6-59 months in the country are stunted.

Sixty-eight per cent of children aged 6-59 months and 58 per cent of women aged 15-49 were found to be anaemic, while 12 per cent of women aged 15-49 are thin (a body mass index below 18.5).

The World Bank also reports that high levels of vitamin and mineral deficiencies (MND) continue to depress the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by more than $1.5 billion via high mortality and morbidity rates along with decreased productivity.

The stats confirm multiple stakeholder findings that malnutrition is a grave problem in Nigeria and many other countries.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), for instance, cites malnutrition as the gravest single threat to the world’s public health.

Nutrition disorders depend on which nutrient is deficient or overabundant. In developing countries such as Nigeria, this imbalance is most frequently associated with undernutrition, which presents mainly as protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) and micronutrient deficiencies.

 

Food fortification

Food fortification, in which essential micronutrients are added during food processing, has been widely identified as a cost-effective strategy for addressing micronutrient malnutrition at scale.

Undernutrition can lead to lifelong consequences, increasing the risk of impaired physical and cognitive development, and diminished productive capacity.

 

Challenge of inadequate compliance

In sub-Saharan Africa, hidden hunger affects millions of people. In these nations, combating undernutrition through food fortification is critical for long-term development, and many countries across the region mandate fortification in food processing. However, the effectiveness of these mandates is frequently undermined by inadequate compliance, often due to technical challenges and ineffective regulatory monitoring that ensures a level playing field which then allows processors to absorb and transfer the marginal costs for fortification.

 

Strengthening African Processors of Fortified Foods (SAPFF) programme

The Strengthening African Processors of Fortified Foods (SAPFF) programme is a four-year, $10million initiative between international non-profit organisations TechnoServe and Partners in Food Solutions designed to solve the problem.

 

SAPFF is funded by the Bill

and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Utilising a market-based approach, SAPFF will help food companies in Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania increase the availability of nutritious foods by improving their capacity to produce and sell fortified foods for local markets.

 

Stakeholders unite for food fortification

On July 26, 2018, TechnoServe in collaboration with the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Nigerian Industrial Policy and Competitiveness Council co-hosted the Nigeria Food Processing and Nutrition CEO Forum.

Participants included leading processors of flour, salt, oil and sugar in Nigeria, relevant government ministries and agencies, and development partners, among others.

The Forum resulted in commitments by industry stakeholders to achieve 100 per cent compliance with food fortification standards, as verified by independent, third-party monitoring.

The government and development partners also made commitments.

The Federal Government, for instance, agreed to boost enforcement of key regulations and incentivise adherence to and commitment by the food processing industry to fortification.

 

2nd Annual Nigeria Food Processing and Leadership Forum

Stakeholders gathered again on December 16 in Lagos to review the progress. Their verdict? Nigeria has attained 75 per cent fortified food compliance, up from the 50 per cent rate of 2018.

Significant progress has thus been made in fortifying Nigerian staple Foods with micronutrients, critical for improving the population’s health and nutrition.

The stakeholders relied on data presented at the 2nd Annual Nigeria Food Processing and Leadership Forum.

The meeting, chaired By Alhaji Aliko Dangote with Bill Gates participating by video conference, convened the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Nigeria’s leading food processing companies alongside government and international development leaders to Review 18 months of progress since the inaugural forum in July 2018.

 

Boost in staple foods fortification

According to TechnoServe’s data, several companies have significantly improved their compliance with food fortification standards since the commitments they made at last year’s forum. Among six of the leading producers of staple foods in Nigeria, the proportion of adequately fortified wheat flour increased from 58 per cent to 74 per cent; fortified edible oil increased from 63 per cent to 75 per cent; fortified sugar increased from 32 per cent to 84 per cent, and salt iodisation levels are maintained at nearly 100 per cent. Together, these producers account for 90 per cent or more of the production volume of these foods-except for edible oil, for which they represent closer to 40 per cent of the production volume.

These efforts are part of the SAPFF project focused on increasing consumer access to adequately fortified foods, implemented by TechnoServe with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

An eye on 90 per cent compliance

Dangote, Health Minister Dr Osagie Ehanire; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Niyi Adebayo and other stakeholders pledged to achieve 90 per cent compliance on food fortification by 2020.

They said this was part of efforts to address the high rate of malnutrition in the country.

Dangote added: “The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration of Nigeria (NAFDAC) should not only focus on the big players in the food business, but they should also go after small players as well. That way, we will meet the 90 per cent target.

“On our part as a company, we have ensured Dangote Rice is fortified. We know there’s presently a mandate on all locally made rice to be fortified. We trust NAFDAC and Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to ensure this is complied with.”

 

Commendable progress, but…

While the progress is commendable, there’s still significant work needed to achieve project goals and maximise public health impact.

While the food producers reviewed represent a majority of the market share for wheat flour, salt and sugar, all producers of these staple foods should be in full compliance with government-mandated fortification levels-which is key to ensuring that all Nigerians benefit from more micronutrients in their diet.

Local refining of edible oil in Nigeria is less consolidated compared to other staple food products and needs coordination amongst multiple stakeholders to ensure a higher proportion is fortified with vitamin A.

 

First-ever Micronutrient Fortification Index (MFI)

To strengthen industry-wide compliance, TechnoServe has been working with many private sector partners to pilot Nigeria’s first-ever Micronutrient Fortification Index (MFI). The MFI is a tool that effectively differentiates companies by the extent to which they meet industry benchmarks, including compliance with Nigerian Fortification Standards. Companies’ overall scores will be presented in a dashboard that will be updated annually to show progress and gaps-ultimately contributing to a robust industry-wide platform that emphasizes quality standards as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI).

“The next level of action for the Flour Milling Association of Nigeria is that we envisage industry-wide application of the MFI and we believe that this will happen. It will give us greater leverage and provide us with a platform to make a case for increased advocacy to the relevant authorities to ensure that all inputs that go into the practice of fortification meet the required standards,” said Alhaji Olalekan Saliu, Executive Secretary of the Flour Milling Association of Nigeria.

 

Role of the Joint Regulatory Framework (JRF)

The forum also reviewed progress on the Joint Regulatory Framework (JRF), which coordinates the Enforcement of industry activities by the NAFDAC, SON, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).

Following an inter-ministerial meeting in November, policy Recommendations moving forward include advocating for increased national budgetary allocations towards nutrition and fortification, increased monitoring of imported fortificants and premixes, and establishing a collaborative border control mechanism that ensures edible oil imports are recorded and conform to Nigerian Standards.

 

Gates: I’m inspired by Nigeria’s progress

“Malnutrition doesn’t just kill more than two million kids each year, it also stunts the cognitive development of millions more,” said Bill Gates, co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

Why Nigeria must act fast

Worldwide, more than two billion people suffer from micronutrient malnutrition-deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals that are integral to healthy growth and development. Fortifying staple foods- such as oil, flour, salt and sugar-with vitamins and minerals has been proven to be one of the most cost-effective and scalable tools to combat malnutrition and save lives.

One of three Nigerian children under five are stunted-their bodies and brains deprived of the key nutrients they need to fully develop to reach their full potential. Over the long-term, stunting results in a 10 to 17 per cent loss of wages. When multiplied across the nation, it’s estimated that Nigeria loses

More than US$1.5 billion in GDP annually as a result of diminished productivity and increased healthcare costs.

“Nigeria will be the world’s third-largest country by 2050. If we don’t address it now, poor nutrition threatens to hinder our ability to prosper and play a leading role in the global economy,” said Larry Umunna, TechnoServe’s West Africa Regional Director.

Just this year, a systematic review and meta-analysis of 50 studies found that large-scale fortification programmes in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) have led to dramatic reductions in serious disease.

 

 

 

FACTS & figures

37

•The percentage of children aged 6-59 months in the country are stunted according to the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS)

60

•The percentage of children aged 6-59 months

12

•The percentage of women aged 15-49 who are thin (a body mass index below 18.5)

$1.5b

•What the country loses in term of GDP annually as a result of diminished productivity and increased healthcare costs.