Governance and Accountability for Food Fortification

How can we improve governance and accountability at global and country levels for food fortification? What policy actions can be taken to accelerate fortification towards 2030?

Since March 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged global food systems and pushed an estimated 100 million people into states of hunger and food insecurity. Food systems are a key determinant of anaemia and large-scale food fortification offers a powerful, evidence based and cost-effective tool to fight malnutrition by providing key nutrients to entire populations. However, disrupted supply chains, programmatic challenges as well as competing financial and political demands mean many fortification programmes are under threat and progress on anaemia prevention is stalling.

The upcoming Food System Summit offers an unprecedented opportunity to interrupt this trend and inject much needed energy and investment into this crucial prevention strategy for anaemia and other health conditions such as neural tube defects. Large-scale food fortification has been pitched as a game-changing solution for food system transformation to ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all. Although there are several ongoing efforts -by different partners- to fortify different food staples and condiments, the accountability of this intervention is not yet institutionalized, which might limit coordinated action and monitoring in this area.

In collaboration with Nutrition International and supported by UN Nutrition this extended AREA CoP webinar will take place on the 10^th of June during the Food Systems Dialogues – Health Talks, which provides a space to discuss the nexus health, food systems and human rights. The webinar will seek insights from UN agencies, key donors and existing alliances for food fortification.

Please join us for a lively discussion on how improved governance and accountability can drive global movement for fortification towards and beyond the food systems summit.

A full recording of this dialogue and WHO Health Talk can be found here. 

And more details including the full concept note, recording and presentations can be found here.

Co-convened by the AREA CoP and Nutrition International