Ukraine Builds the Foundation for a Future Fortification Program

FFI strengthens Ukraine by laying the foundation for a future fortification program.

Thanks to advocacy efforts by in-country stakeholders, particularly the OMNI-Net Ukrainian Birth Defects Monitoring Program, a deputy in the Ukrainian Parliament submitted a draft law for wheat flour fortification on 16 June 2021. The draft was promptly adopted, endorsed by a diverse group of deputies who represent various political parties and all regions of Ukraine, and sent for review by an appropriate committee.

FFI received a draft of the law and gave substantial feedback to Dr. Wladimir Wertelecki, founder of the OMNI-Net Ukrainian Birth Defects Monitoring Program and vocal advocate for folic acid fortification. The law was drafted to suggest that only folic acid be added to wheat flour. FFI suggested that the government take a holistic approach to vitamin and mineral deficiency and consider a much broader ingredient coverage in the fortification standard.

To raise support for fortification among high-level government stakeholders, FFI sent letters to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, and Chairman of the Parliament, Dmytro Razumkov, that endorsed mandatory wheat flour fortification and offered FFI’s technical assistance. Technical assistance would include helping the country set fortification standards and the overall planning, implementation, and monitoring of a fortification program.

FFI partnered with two in-country advocates for wheat flour fortification to help move the legislation forward: Ivan Mirashnichenko, a former Ukrainian Government official who works as a grain trader and flour miller, and Olga Trigub, leader of Business-Guard, a nongovernmental and inter-industrial association that specializes in working with the Parliament of Ukraine. FFI is also conducting a thorough supply chain analysis for several Central Asian countries, including Ukraine. The learnings from the analysis will inform FFI’s approach to fortification programing in the country.

Unfortunately, due to increasing political instability in 2021, FFI put on hold its work with local experts, the milling industry and the Ukrainian Government to further develop a fortification program.