We have provided a few important resources on food fortification below. More resources can be found on the FFI, IGN, and GAIN websites. If you have any questions on any of the materials on this page, or have suggestions for improvement, please get in touch.
Photo Credit: GAIN
Climate change is a pressing global threat. Greenhouse gas emissions allow for heat to be trapped in the atmosphere, ultimately leading to increased surface temperatures on earth. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most common greenhouse gas emitted through human activities, and atmospheric levels are at an all-time high. CO2 emissions are harmful to the planet, and the potential impacts on human health and nutrition are life threatening.
Climate change is much more than an environmental issue – it’s a nutrition issue. Studies show that many plants grown under conditions of higher CO2 levels suffer a decrease in micronutrients including B vitamins, zinc, and iron. Preventing climate change is of utmost importance. When addressing issues brought on by climate change, it’s important that populations don’t become at risk for micronutrient deficiencies. Food fortification can help fill the micronutrient gap that millions of people will be more vulnerable to because of a less diverse diet.
Useful links:
Human-wrought environmental changes impacting crops and pollinators could harm health of millions
Rising temperature and carbon emissions decrease food’s nutrient quality
As Carbon Dioxide Levels Rise, Major Crops Are Losing Nutrients
Rising atmospheric CO2 increases global threat of zinc deficiency
Impact of anthropogenic CO2 emissions on global human nutrition
Fortifying Our Food to Fight Climate Change
Ensuring Nutritious Food Under Elevated CO2 Conditions: A Case for Improved C4 Crops
The Potential Impact of Climate Change on the Micronutrient-Rich Food Supply
Photo Credit: CDC
Links to fortification resources are categorized in sections below.
The GFDx produced technical briefs to highlight global progress, key achievements, program gaps, dissonance with fortification best practices, and general recommendations to improve food fortification programs.
Global Status of Food Fortification
Global Status of Food Fortification Compliance or Quality
Global Status of Fortified Food Coverage
Potential Nutrient Intake from Fortified Foods
The GFDx was designed to empower governments, donors, implementing agencies, and other members of the global health and development community to reach populations affected by vitamin and mineral deficiencies with data-driven policy and programs. Despite global usage of the Global Fortification Data Exchange (GFDx) among various stakeholders (such as technical staff, academics, non-governmental organizations, donors and others) website analytics for the period between 2017-2019 demonstrate that usage is low among most low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).
To further increase usage of the platform and reinforce the value and uptake of the GFDx data for key stakeholders in-country for decision making, the GFDx secretariat held consultative dialogues with fortification stakeholders in seven countries to better understand how the GFDx could be improved to better meet their decision-making needs on fortification policies and programs.
The consultative dialogues were held virtually in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The consultations included a variety of representatives, ranging from development partners, donors, industry, research and academic institutions, food regulators, and premix suppliers. The following are key themes and recommendations from all consultations and potential next steps for improving the GFDx.
Summary Report
Bangladesh
India
Kenya
Nigeria
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
