Celebrating 20 Years of FFI
Photo: UNICEF
Since its inception in 2002, FFI has partnered in more than 30 countries across the globe to build cereal grain fortification programs.
In that time, FFI’s work has made a positive impact on millions of lives by addressing the pressing burden of micronutrient deficiencies and their life-altering consequences, such as birth defects of the brain and spine. By engaging with public, private, and civic partners, FFI has helped countries around the world establish sustainable fortification programs that will improve lives for years to come.
To celebrate its twentieth birthday, in October 2022, FFI honored 20 Fortification Champions, individuals from various sectors and parts of the world that have been game-changing advocates for food fortification. The 2022 FFI Fortification Champions represent the partnerships and tireless efforts that have helped approximately 55 countries adopt mandatory cereal grain fortification legislation between 2002 and 2022.
Twenty years of milestones
In the past twenty years, FFI and the fortification community have marked several notable milestones as global efforts to prevent micronutrient deficiencies through fortification has grown.
2002: At the Policy Planning Forum meeting in Mauritius, FFI is founded to coordinate global flour fortification efforts.
2006: The World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) issue the first guidelines on food fortification that are written from a nutrition and public health perspective. The guidelines provide practical instruction on the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of sustainable fortification programs.
2009: WHO releases the first guidelines for wheat and maize flour fortification for setting nutrient levels and selection of fortification compounds, particularly with iron, folic acid, zinc, and vitamins B12 and A.
2014: FFI changes its name from Flour Fortification Initiative to Food Fortification Initiative as fortification of industrially milled rice became included in FFI efforts.
2016: WHO releases updated maize flour fortification guidelines.
2017: The Global Fortification Data Exchange (GFDx) is built to empower governments, donors, implementing agencies, and other members of the global health community to reach populations affected by micronutrient deficiencies with data driven policy and programs.
2018: WHO releases updated rice fortification guidelines.
2022: WHO releases updated wheat flour fortification guidelines that provide locally adaptable, clear, evidence-informed global recommendations grounded in gender, equity, and human rights approaches.
“Empowering communities and individuals is a key component of food fortification as a public health strategy. It is important to address any perceived barriers to the fortification program and discuss it with local opinion leaders.”
FFI fortification champions
Nominated by their peers, the 2022 FFI Fortification Champions were selected based on their dedicated efforts to advance food fortification and save lives. FFI sat down with each champion to learn about their experiences supporting or implementing fortification programs, the challenges and triumphs of their work, and the role of fortification in their respective regions or countries.
The conversations reflected the dynamic nature of advocacy work as it pertains to health and nutrition. Dr. Nelly Zavaleta, 2022 FFI Fortification Champion and Senior Investigator at Instituto de Investigación Nutricional in Peru, highlights that “working in nutrition gives you the opportunity to be a servant for your country, and to make a contribution for the development of society. If you have a dream and you want to make a difference, nutrition gives you this opportunity.”
FFI Fortification Champions are influential players in the realm of food fortification, providing real-life lessons learned from working on or supporting national fortification programs. Councilor Lyall Thurston of Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, a 2022 FFI Fortification Champion, has a son who was born with spina bifida. This ultimately led him to be involved in advocating for mandatory wheat flour fortifciation in New Zealand. “The New Zealand campaign was a long, protracted, collective effort which drew on support, relentless encouragement, and endless optimism from some of the greatest child health advocates, communicators, researchers, and members of medical and disability organizations worldwide.”
Twenty years of FFI represents two decades of robust collaborative work. And yet there is still much for FFI and its partners to do to help countries build self-sustaining fortification programs that address the nutritional needs of their people. Fortification Champion Dr. Rajesh Mehta, summarized the future of fortification: “We have to convince people that food fortification is a good public health strategy for which we should continue to be tenacious in our advocacy, and we should also be prepared to sustain support for countries to build and implement good quality food fortification programs and address the implementation challenges.” Integrity and sustainability are two of the core characteristics that drive FFI and FFI’s Champions. Collaboration is crucial for sustained, large-scale impact.
“To continue strengthening fortification efforts there needs to be a meeting of minds, including academic, policymakers, and food manufacturers.”
Celebrating accomplishments, committing to the future
In the last 20 years, FFI has grown from an idea to a key player in the global effort to fortify the world against micronutrient deficiencies. In that time, building strong partnerships with government officials, food producers, civic sector organizers, researchers, neurosurgeons, staff of non-governmental organizations, and others passionate about creating fortification programs to prevent micronutrient deficiencies has been a core part of FFI’s strategy. Even during FFI’s most formative stages, champions across many sectors and disciplines played an integral part in building a healthier future through food fortification.
The progress of the work sustained by FFI and its global partners has had a direct impact on the number of countries with mandatory cereal grain fortification legislation. As of July 2022, 92 countries have legislation to mandate fortification of at least one industrially milled cereal grain. When FFI was founded in 2002, only 38 countries mandated fortification of wheat flour, maize flour, or rice.