Agency moves to improve quality of staple foods

The international nonprofit organization, TechnoServe has moved to improve the quality of staple foods towards tackling the increasing food insecurity and the highest malnutrition burden in Africa.

The agency said it will do this through its innovative, Micronutrient Fortification Index (MFI), which will help to improve nutrition through increased food fortification.

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It said MFI is a self-regulatory system designed to incentivise food processors to meet government standards for fortifying their products with essential vitamins and minerals.

TechnoServe also said it was designed through the Strengthening African Processors of Fortified Foods (SAPFF) programme.

In the three years since the SAPFF programme began, Nigeria’s supply of fortified wheat flour and sugar has increased by 68 per cent and 200 per cent, enabling over 90 per cent of Nigeria’s population to access more nutritious food, it noted.

In 2002, Nigeria mandated the fortification of main staples including flour, oil, maize, semolina and sugar. Despite this, figures from the National Demographic Health Survey conducted in 2018 showed that Nigeria is lagging behind.

At the third Annual Food Processing and Nutritional Leadership Forum convened virtually by Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Mr. Bill Gates recently, the keynote speaker and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo described the MFI as an interesting innovation that will motivate industries to self-regulate in meeting government standards for food fortification.

So far, 12 processors, including Flour Mills of Nigeria plc., PZ Wilmar Limited, Olam, which encompasses Dangote Flour Mills and Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, have signed up to the index.