Millers in drive to combat malnutrition, improve nutrition security
Severe wasting is the most lethal form of under-nutrition and one of the top threats to child survival.
A coalition of millers has launched a programme that seeks to add essential micronutrients to wheat and maize flour, cooking oil and rice. The Millers for Nutrition Pogramme aims to fight micronutrient deficiencies among Kenyans.
Under the programme, millers and food processors who don't meet the industry fortification standards including start-up millers, small scale and posho millers in rural areas, will receive technical support to fortify foods. They will be trained on how to do quality premixes (mixing grains and micronutrients) and use grains that are not contaminated.
According to the World Health Organization, fortification is the practice of deliberately increasing the content of one or more micronutrients (such as vitamins and minerals) in a food or condiment to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health.
Flour fortificants come in powder form as a blend of all the micronutrients, including Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, Folic acid, B12, Iron and Zinc.
The millers under the coalition, 40 per cent of whom are maize millers and over 90 per cent of wheat millers, will receive free technical support in form of tailoured technical training and business advice. They will also receive product testing support and online tools and resources to make it easier to fortify their products.
According to Tobi Durotoye, deputy programme director for IGNITE, there are currently seven approved and licensed premix suppliers by the Ministry of Health, who largely import the fortificants from Germany, South Africa, India and Turkey.
The millers will need a micro-feeder installed within flour conveyors at least four metres to the packaging point. The feeder accurately doses additives to flour during the milling process to ensure proper mixing for homogenous flour.
“Whereas fortification is mandatory for all packaged flour, micro-millers/posho millers are not fortifying as yet. However, there are some millers who have been supported by some development organisations,” he adds.
The programme comes at a time when the country faces threats of malnutrition, poor food safety due to Aflatoxin, drought, climate change and rocketing food prices, which hinder many from affording a healthy diet.
Furher, Kenya still struggles with providing adequate nutrition for children and is recording high levels of zinc deficiency, according to the Kenya Demographic Health Survey and the Kenya National Micronutrient Survey 2011. The survey says that Kenyan children are experiencing undernutrition, with 18 per cent of stunting rates recorded, five per cent of wasting and 10 per cent underweight rates.
The 2011 Micronutrient Survey showed that 62 per cent of children had a vitamin A deficiency, 26 per cent had anaemia, and 82 per cent had zinc deficiency. Eighty per cent of women and 77 per cent of men also had zinc deficiency.
Mr Durotoye notes that more than three billion people worldwide suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, including over half of preschool-aged children and two-thirds of non-pregnant women of reproductive age.
He explains that deficiencies in micronutrients such as iron, folate, vitamins B12 and A, and iodine can contribute to aanemia, cognitive damage, blindness and increased risk of disease and death from infection. In turn, these conditions affect birth, development and educational outcomes and work productivity.
“Iodine is essential for the thyroid hormone, which is responsible for brain development in children, regulation of body weight, energy levels, body temperature, hair and nail growth. Iodine deficiency manifests as goiter, weight gain, infertility, mental impairment in newborns and low productivity, ultimately causing an economic burden to the nation,” he says.
He notes that Zinc is critical for physical growth, immune competence and fertility. Its deficiency is associated with compromised childhood growth, infertility in men and increased child morbidity and mortality. Iron is crucial for the development of hemoglobin and myoglobin, which are responsible for transporting oxygen from the lungs to the body and muscles, respectively. “Vitamin A is vital for boosting the immune system and maintaining vision. Its deficiency significantly impacts mortality from infectious diseases and can cause childhood blindness,” he adds.
He states that currently, there is a flour milling facility in almost all the constituencies in the country, which should ensure provision of fortified flour in order to address malnutrition. However, small and medium scale millers face technical and financial challenges that hinder them from being able to consistently and reliably produce safe nutritious flour.
Currently, about one-third of children and 42 per cent of pregnant women are anaemic, notes Harry Kimtai, Principal Secretary, State Department for Medical Services. “Zinc deficiency is predominantly high across all population groups, with about 83 per cent of children, 68 per cent of pregnant women and 77 per cent of men being zinc deficient.”
The PS highlights that although there are other interventions such as promoting healthy diets, supplementation, and deworming, the Ministry of Health recognises the significant contribution of food fortification in managing micronutrient deficiency at scale and in the most cost-effective manner.
Trade CS Rebecca Miano notes that micronutrient deficiency poses a health hazard that is otherwise avoidable, and that inadequate intake of micronutrients is a significant public health concern globally that not only affects Kenya, but millions of people in developing countries.
“Quantifying the level of fortification in food products gives us a chance to assess the nutritional status of our people, thus granting us the opportunity to identify areas of nutrition that call for improvement. By investing in micronutrient fortification initiatives, governments save lives over and above, alleviating the burden of disease while improving the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of individuals,” she adds.
She, however, notes that even though food fortification is important, it should not be treated as a generic cure for all malnutrition challenges.
“For food fortification to post the best results, it should be integrated into a wider nutrition improvement strategy that encompasses other interventions such as supplementation, dietary diversification and nutrition education.”
