Authors: Ogunmoyela Olugbenga Ben, Musa Obuluse Blessing and Oni Blessing.
It is already over two decades since the mandatory food fortification program, an industry-based micronutrient intervention initiative commenced with wheat flour, sugar, edible oils, and salt as the major vehicles. There is a need for comprehensive documentation of the historical overview of the initiative to give the right perspective and key learnings to guide similar interventions in the future so as to avoid ‘re-inventing the wheel’. It is also imperative to evaluate the impact of the program considering the huge investments that have been made by major stakeholders such as the government, industry, and various partners. The program impact after over two decades has appeared considerably low, especially with the huge numbers of the population still trapped in the malnutrition web, particularly within the targeted vulnerable groups. This is attributable to various factors such as poor communication and awareness, low inclusiveness of the informal sector, low consumer demand for fortified foods, poor industry compliance in the absence of government incentives, commoditization and poor stability of micronutrient premixes, paucity of funding for local research activities and training, as well as inadequate monitoring and evaluation, all of which are necessary for program sustainability and ownership. Results of an online survey of consumer perception, knowledge, and awareness of the food fortification program within the knowledge community confirm the case for additional mandatory food vehicles, particularly Bouillon cubes which have a wide reach in Nigeria. The rationale for the emergence of these additional vehicles, including rice and tomato paste is discussed to increase the coverage of the program. The need for a Code of Practice, to guide Producers towards better compliance is also discussed as part of the overall strategy to ensure that fortification vehicles reach the target population as expected for better impact.
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