ETHIOPIA – Ethiopia’s Ministry of Industry (MoI) has launched the National Food Fortification Program (NFFP), marking a significant step towards combating malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies across the country.
The initiative, effective August 31, 2024, comes with a five-year strategic plan and mandates mandatory fortification of essential foods, including edible oil, wheat flour, and salt—both locally produced and imported.
This move aligns with Ethiopia’s broader strategy to ensure nutrient-rich food reaches its citizens and builds a healthier, more resilient population.
During the launch event, Melaku Alebel , Industry Minister emphasized the critical role of fortified foods in addressing malnutrition, which remains a major public health challenge in Ethiopia.
He highlighted the program’s potential to prevent neural tube defects and other nutrition-related issues by enriching staple foods with essential vitamins and minerals.
Echoing this sentiment, Dr. Mekdes Daba, Minister of Health, noted that 39% of Ethiopian children under five suffer from stunting due to malnutrition, with 22% experiencing weight loss issues and 11% struggling with obesity.
One of the key partners in this initiative is Sanku, a company dedicated to making fortified foods accessible and affordable across Africa.
Represented at the launch by Co-Founder & CEO Felix Brooks-church, Sanku revealed that it is setting up operations in Ethiopia to help local millers comply with the new regulations.
Sanku aims to provide cost-effective fortification tools to ensure that fortified wheat flour reaches millions of Ethiopians, thereby supporting the government’s efforts to improve the country’s nutritional status.
Ethiopia has made notable strides in public health over the past decade, including a significant reduction in stunting rates from 58% to 38% between 2000 and 2016.
However, malnutrition continues to pose a serious challenge, resulting in an estimated 16% loss of gross domestic product annually due to undernutrition.
The new fortification program is expected to build on previous initiatives, such as the Seqota Declaration, which aims to end child undernutrition by 2030 and aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The success of the NFFP will require continued collaboration between government bodies, civil society, and private sector partners like Sanku. Ethiopia is poised to improve its population’s health and achieve sustained economic growth by enhancing the quality and diversity of diets and addressing both undernutrition and overnutrition.
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