Olam
Agri has said it is committed to helping to raise the standard of public health
as it contributes to meeting the growing demand for healthy foods across the
African continent and beyond. Speaking at the
recently concluded World Economic Forum (WEF), Ashish Pande, Senior Vice
President, Olam Agri, said Olam Agri will deliver 1 trillion servings of fortified
food - wheat flour, edible oil, rice – to provide essential micronutrients to
over 250 million people each day by 2030.
“Food fortification is at the core of Olam
Agri’s purpose of transforming food, feed, and fibre for a sustainable future.
In 2021, we produced more than 83 billion servings of fortified foods for
consumers in Africa, which included fortified rice in Ghana and Cameroon. Our
commitment goes beyond meeting regulatory requirements to addressing the
important nutrient gaps faced by millions of people. By 2030, we pledge to
deliver 1 trillion servings of fortified food - wheat flour, edible oil, rice
to provide essential micronutrients to over 250 million people each day,” Pande
said.
Global
food fortification actions are coming under sharp scrutiny. A discourse around
the fortification of staple foods such as rice and wheat, and how to build a
consensus around unified strategies suitable for reducing malnutrition on a
global scale garnered attention at the recently concluded WEF 2023 in Davos,
Switzerland.
It is
estimated that three billion people cannot afford a healthy diet annually. This
unhealthy population is expected to rise by 267.6 million due to the impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, reaching people with micronutrients such as
Vitamin A, iron, zinc, iodine, and folate on a global scale is seen as
strategic to halting the unfavourable rise in unhealthy diets. WEF gathers
global leaders and key decision-makers across the globe annually to initiate
dialogue and drive cooperation that will help navigate the pressing challenges impacting
the health of the global economy. This year, the forum mobilized food
processors, partner governments, technical agencies, and key donors to address
nutrition issues, as well as deepen collaboration and partnership in providing
solutions to the issues.
Pande
underlines the need for and advantages of partnerships between millers and technical
partners to help address unhealthy diets. “Thanks to our partnership with
TechnoServe, we have installed premix facilities across our local food
manufacturing facilities. The premix facility is automated, and the process is
controlled to ensure the persistence of quality premix and consistent supply of
nourishing foods across our operating markets,” Pande said.
Diving into the barriers and solutions to
scale fortification initiatives on the globe, Paul Newnham, the Vice Chair of
the Food System Champion Network, and moderator at the WEF session, said,
“Millers are a powerful new ally in the global fight against malnutrition. One in
two children and two in three women face at least one micronutrient deficiency.
Fortification has a critical role to play. From consumer education to
regulatory frameworks, millers face key barriers in producing fortified foods.
Millers need to be put on a level playing field, with equal partnerships
between business and millers.”
To round off the discourse on food fortification at
the forum, a formidable initiative tagged ‘Miller 4 Nutrition Global Coalition’
was launched. According to Newnham, the initiative aims to gather millers of
all sizes and diverse actors to improve nutrition worldwide.
The World Economic Forum Food Systems
Initiative stimulates multi-sectoral leadership to support collective regional
and country-led action, and advancing global insight and policy, to accelerate
food systems transformations aimed at finding solutions to malnutrition,
micronutrient deficiencies and hunger.
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