About GFDx Indicators

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Food intake/availability

Food intake/availability indicator and term descriptions:

Daily Food Intake: The average amount of the food vehicle in question that is eaten in grams, per capita, per day.

Proxy: Daily Food Availability: The average amount of the food vehicle in question that is available for consumption in grams, per capita, per day. If daily food intake is not available.

Total Food Available: The total annual food supply available in metric tons of the food vehicle in question for human consumption

Quantity and proportion of food industrially processed

Industrially processed food indicator and term descriptions:

Amount and Proportion of Industrially Processed Food: Quantity of food that could be fortified through industrial food processing (if there is no mandatory fortification in a country) and/or expected to be fortified under existing legislation (if there is mandatory fortification in place).

Proxy: Estimated Amount and Proportion of Industrially Processed Food: The estimated total amount (in metric tons) and estimated percentage of the total food available that is processed by an industrial processor AND is required to be fortified according to relevant legislation (if mandatory legislation exists). If accurate published industry landscape data are not available, but an educated guess can be made based on context, knowledge held by a local technical expert, or other quality assured information.

Proportion of population consuming food

Proportion of population consuming food indicator and term descriptions:

Maximum potential coverage of fortified food: The proportion of the population (typically measured via household surveys) that report consuming the food vehicle, foods made with that food vehicle, preparing foods with the food vehicle at home, or have the food vehicle in the household on the day of the survey, regardless of whether the food vehicle is fortified or industrially processed.

Legislation status indicator and term descriptions:

Mandatory fortification: The country has legal documentation that has the effect of currently mandating fortification of the food vehicle in question with one or more vitamins or minerals i.e. the documentation indicates that fortification of all or some of the food is compulsory or required.

Mandatory fortification year: The year in which fortification of the food vehicle was first mandated in the country.

Voluntary fortification: The country has a fortification standard that provides guidance on levels and nutrient compounds for fortification but does not have the effect of mandating or requiring fortification. If a country has mandatory fortification for that food vehicle, it will be categorized by GFDx as not having voluntary fortification, even if some types of the food vehicle or some nutrients may be fortified on a voluntary basis.

Fortification standards indicator and term descriptions:

Fortification standard: The country has legal documentation indicating standardized fortification levels of the food vehicle in question with one or more nutrients.

Standard year: The year in which the current standard or parent document (e.g. food regulations) was issued, whichever is more recent.

Nutrient levels: The level of each nutrient expressed in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) that is listed in the current standard at the point of production/ import for the food vehicle in question.

Nutrient compounds: The allowable compounds which can be used to fortify each nutrient that are listed in the current standard at the point of production / import for the food vehicle in question.

Regulatory monitoring protocols indicator and term descriptions:

External monitoring protocol: The country has an official government document (e.g. manual, rules, operating procedures, regulations, framework, guidelines etc.) that identifies roles, responsibilities, and activities for authorized government department(s) to monitor a domestic food production facility for food safety and food quality, with specific reference to fortification.

Import monitoring protocol: The country has an official government document (e.g. manual, rules, operating procedures, regulations, framework, guidelines, etc.) that identifies roles, responsibilities, and activities for authorized government department(s) to monitor a food imports for food safety and food quality, with specific reference to fortification.

Fortification compliance/quality indicator and term descriptions:

Compliance: Adherence to an order, regulation, or law. In the case of food fortification, foods that are fortified and included within any order, regulation, or law on food fortification (mandatory or voluntary) must adhere to the micronutrient specifications detailed in the nationally adopted standards and/or other food quality, safety, packaging, and labeling requirements. To be deemed “compliant,” food producers or importers must “pass” a pre-determined and objectively defined set of requirements during a site audit/inspection by the government entity responsible for food control. E.g. these requirements can include a certain score or range of scores based on an audit checklist, a premix reconciliation calculation, qualitative tests, and quantitative tests, or a combination of these. As such, data accepted into the GFDx will be considered as compliance only if assessed by an authorized government authority, is assessed at production or import level, and can be used for enforcement of fortification and other food quality requirements.

Quality: The degree to which a product meets stated requirements. Unlike compliance, which must be measured at the point of production or import by authorized government entities, data on quality may be generated by public, private (non-government) or civil society stakeholders. Additionally, it may be collected from places of production, import or markets and may rely on qualitative or quantitative tests, or educated expert estimates. Quality data cannot be used for enforcement of national standards.

Amount and proportion of food that is fortified (compliance by product volumes): The total amount (in metric tons) and percentage of industrially processed food that is required by legislation to be fortified that is fortified at levels that meet relevant standards.

Proxy: Amount and proportion of food that is fortified (compliance by market share): The total amount (in metric tons) and percentage of industrially processed food that is required under legislation to be fortified that is fortified at levels that meet relevant standards. If production/import quantity of compliant producers and importers is not known but estimates of industrial market share are available.

Proxy: Amount and proportion of food that is fortified (quality) – The total amount (in metric tons) and percentage industrially processed food that is required by legislation to be fortified that is confirmed to be fortified at any level or to a specified level. If regulatory monitoring data is not available from points of production or imports by an authorized government, but audits quantitative, or qualitative tests have been performed on food products 1.) by another interested party at any level or 2.) by any authority at market level.

Proxy: Estimated amount and proportion of food that is fortified (estimated quality): The total amount (in metric tons) and percentage of industrially processed food that is required by legislation to be fortified and is fortified at any level (quality). If no regulatory monitoring data or product sample data are available, but an educated guess can be made based on context and local knowledge by a local technical expert, or other data with cited methods.

Proxy: Estimated amount and proportion of food that is fortified (compliance by facilities/samples monitored): The percentage of industrially processed food that is required by legislation to be fortified that is fortified at levels that meet relevant standards (compliance). If regulatory monitoring data of neither production/import quantity nor industrial market share is available but producers and/or importers have been monitored by an authorized government authority and proportion of compliant facilities or samples is known.

Population coverage indicator and term descriptions:

Population coverage of food vehicle: The proportion of the population (typically measured via household surveys) that report consuming the food vehicle, foods made with that food vehicle, preparing foods with the food vehicle at home, or have the food vehicle in the household on the day of the survey, regardless of whether the food vehicle is fortified or industrially processed.

Proxy: Estimated population coverage of food vehicle: The proportion of the population that is estimated to consume an industrially processed food vehicle (or foods made with that food vehicle), regardless of whether it is actually fortified or industrially processed, rather than a household survey. If a national survey or other published and quality-assured data are unavailable on reported usage of a food vehicle.

Population coverage of industrially processed food vehicle: The proportion of the population (typically measured via household survey) that report consuming, preparing foods at home, or have in the household on the day of the survey an industrially processed food vehicle (or foods made with that food vehicle), regardless of whether it is fortified.

Proxy: Estimated population coverage of industrially processed food vehicle: The proportion of the population that is estimated to consume an industrially processed food vehicle, regardless of whether it is fortified. If a national survey or other published and quality-assured data are unavailable on reported usage of an industrially processed food vehicle.

Population coverage of fortified food vehicle (any level): The proportion of the population (typically measured via household survey) that report consuming, preparing foods at home, or have in the household on the day of the survey a food vehicle (or foods made with that food vehicle) that is confirmed to be fortified at any level (quality).

Proxy: Estimated population coverage of fortified food vehicle (any level): The proportion of the population that is estimated to consume a fortified and industrially processed food vehicle. If a national survey or other published and quality-assured data are unavailable on reported usage of a fortified and industrially processed food vehicle.

Population coverage of fortified food vehicle (meeting standards): The proportion of the population (typically measured via household survey) that report consuming, preparing foods at home, or have in the household on the day of the survey a food vehicle (or foods made with that food vehicle) that is confirmed to be fortified at levels meeting relevant standards.

Proxy: Estimated population coverage of fortified food vehicle (meeting standards): The proportion of the population that is estimated to consume a fortified and industrially processed food vehicle, rather than a household survey. If a national survey or other published and quality-assured data are unavailable on reported usage of a fortified and industrially processed food vehicle.

Population coverage of fortified food vehicle (any level) across populations with that food: Among populations that use the food vehicle, the proportion of the population (typically measured via household survey) that report consuming, preparing foods at home, or have in the household on the day of the survey a food vehicle that is confirmed to be fortified at any level (quality).

Population coverage of fortified food vehicle (meeting standards) across populations with that food: Among populations that use the food vehicle, the proportion of the population (typically measured via household survey) that report consuming, preparing foods at home, or have in the household on the day of the survey a food vehicle that is confirmed to be fortified at levels meeting relevant standards.

GFDx Analysis: Potential nutrient intake indicator and term descriptions:

Before adjustment: An unadjusted contribution represents the maximum potential that could be achieved in an ideal fortification setting and takes into account a country’s most recent data on the amount of food available for consumption and nutrient levels specified in fortification standards (where 100% of the food vehicle is industrially processed and 100% is fortified).

After adjustment: An adjusted value represents a more realistic picture of potential contribution estimates, additionally taking into account the percent of food industrially processed and the percent of food actually being fortified according to standards.

GFDx Analysis: Health status indicator and term descriptions:

Availability of data on health status before and after mandatory fortification: The number of countries that have data or studies comparing health status related to the selected nutrient before and after mandatory fortification.