A historic meeting for food fortification in Eastern and Southern Africa
July 2024
Salt iodization is the oldest form of food fortification, and the strategy has been successfully utilized around the world to protect the developing brains of children and other more devastating health effects of iodine deficiency.
Over more than a century of salt iodization, beginning in Europe and North America, we’ve learned a lot about how to implement such a public health strategy cost-effectively, and at scale.
Five years ago, in Eastern and Southern Africa, a new chapter was added to that century-old history. IGN and UNICEF brought together stakeholders from 25 countries to form a Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) to review and support programs addressing iodine deficiency disorders in the region, targeting actions to address the issue in ways that might not have been possible without such coordination at regional level.
It’s not exactly the kind of news that grabs the headlines, but it should, because today, the work of that alliance has the potential to further improve nutrition for hundreds of millions of people in the region through enhanced fortification of staple foods with essential micronutrients beyond iodine.
Key partners will gather in Mombasa (October 15-17) to broaden the scope of the RCM and to develop a regional action plan on food fortification, seeking to achieve greater progress in tackling vitamin and mineral deficiencies and giving its population greater access to nutritious diets. International organizations including IGN, UNICEF, GAIN, Nutrition International, WFP, WHO, USAID, TechnoServe and the Micronutrient Forum, will join government representatives and many others, including all the crucial political and economic blocs in the region – the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC), the East African Community (EAC), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa.
Flickr Hktang
As they convene, they are already motivated by the knowledge that a recent review of the implementation of the multi-partner Regional Strategic RoadMap for the sustainable elimination of iodine deficiency disorders has shown significant success. The achievement is attributed to management under a Regional Coordinating Mechanism (RCM), along with a multi-stakeholder structure providing a framework for concerted action.
These milestones across the region have shown that the RCM has played a pivotal role in addressing the problem of iodine deficiency, a role an expanded RCM hopes to achieve for more of the region’s food fortification activities:
- In Madagascar, collaborative efforts between government, IGN and UNICEF, funded by USAID, have led to improved coverage of household iodized salt, benefiting its 29 million population.
- In Botswana, national analysis spearheaded by the iodine RCM led to an improved and integrated national micronutrient strategy, incorporating iodine and salt iodization.
- An analysis of small-scale salt production in Mozambique has led to the development of a cooperative approach to be presented to potential international donors.
- Angola’s national program development, guided by the RCM, led to the establishment of a sustainably financed revolving fund for the purchase of potassium iodate (KIO3) premix.
- Burundi has conducted a comprehensive national IDD survey, including sources of iodized salt. This led to the development of a national IDD program and a collaboration with the Uvinza Salt Works in Tanzania to ensure consistent iodization of its exported salt.
Work over the past year in the run-up to this meeting has achieved consensus that the time has come to make the broadening of the RCM’s mandate a reality. Progress towards agreements on public health policy and fortification standards is informed by sharing of experiences and knowledge to achieve greater impact. A road map and plan of action will ensure that the region is on track in scaling up food fortification, including salt iodization, and that all key parties are engaged to play their part in a spirit of public-private partnership that will lead to improved nutrition, health and prosperity for people across the region.