Heaptalk, Jakarta — Indonesia is set to host an international meeting on global nutrition issues focused on Large-Scale Food Fortification (LSFF).
Indonesia’s National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) organized the event in collaboration with Global Health Strategies. More than 80 participants, including government representatives, experts, and academics from Asia and Africa, LSFF expert teams, health experts, private sector representatives, and development partners such as UNICEF, WHO, and OECD, will participate in the LSFF.
“LSFF serves as a platform for exchanging experiences, learning, and collaboration among the Global South in implementing large-scale food fortification, primarily to address micronutrient deficiencies such as iron, calcium, zinc, iodine, folate, and vitamins. These deficiencies cause various diseases, including stunting, which affects physical and cognitive development,” said Amich Alhumami, Deputy for Human, Community, and Cultural Development at Bappenas, on Monday (10/14) in Jakarta.
This issue mainly affects women and children in low-income regions with less diverse diets. Food fortification has proven to be one of the most effective health interventions for combating malnutrition, with a return on investment of US$1:27. Every US$1 invested in fortification yields a US$27 economic return from preventing diseases, increasing income and improving work productivity. Deputy Amich emphasized the importance of Global South collaboration in supporting the sustainability of LSFF.
Amich explained that it is crucial to continue supporting this initiative by integrating it into national health strategies and strengthening sustainable multisectoral collaboration to implement future food fortification programs successfully. “In doing so, we can ensure progress in improving public health and guarantee the long-term success of this program,” added Deputy Amich.
In this meeting, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, and Ethiopia shared knowledge and experiences in implementing food fortification in their countries. Indonesia has already mandated fortification for salt, cooking oil, and wheat flour and is expanding its fortification program to include rice, a staple food for its population.
Additionally, the meeting focused on identifying potential synergies between countries and regions to strengthen food fortification implementation. One outcome of the meeting was launching a knowledge exchange platform for the Global South, serving as a hub for sharing experiences and best practices among developing countries in implementing food fortification.
