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SPRING/Uganda Raises Awareness about the Benefits of Fortified Foods

Over the past six years, SPRING/Uganda has worked in partnership with government, the private sector, and other stakeholders to support national food fortification. SPRING distributed 2,000 factsheets, 10,000 posters, and 40,000 cutouts resembling fortified products on the market to shops and supermarkets. The material had information on the benefits of food fortification. SPRING/Uganda also organized a radio campaign to inform the public about how to identify fortified products.

For some stakeholders, five manuals and two training curricula were produced to aid various fortification processes including inspection of industries and addition of fortificants.

SPRING is also campaigning to encourage schools to buy fortified flour to increase the nutritious value of their food, which will help prevent and control anemia among schoolchildren, including adolescent girls.

Food fortification involves boosting certain foods’ nutritional value through the addition of micronutrients like vitamin A, zinc, iodine and iron. According to Uganda’s National Fortification Guidelines, all industries that produce wheat flour, fats, and cooking oil must fortify their products. Industries with daily maize flour production of 20 metric tons or more are also required to fortify their flour.

The photos below depict some of SPRING’s work supporting food fortification.

Abdul Nuldin Katongole and Jolly Ruyonga, both traders that work with maize millers, read a factsheet on food fortification. SPRING/Uganda distributed 2,000 factsheets to various partners. The fact sheets have information about the importance of fortifying products and the benefits of consuming fortified products.
Paul Kato of Ntake Bakery and Company Limited, a wheat flour plant, adds fortificants to a dossier. SPRING/Uganda has been instrumental in ensuring that industries obliged to fortify do so. Five manuals and two training curricula have been produced to aid such processes and more.
Thomas Okoth and Justine Nabuuma of Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) perform an iron spot test on maize flour, to establish if the flour with the fortification logo is actually fortified. SPRING/Uganda worked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to carry out random market surveillance to determine if products with the big, blue “F” logo were actually fortified.
Fortified maize flour looks red/maroon upon testing (as seen on the right), unlike unfortified maize flour, which will have a slight hint of red/maroon (as seen on the left).
Brenda Ayebare of UIRI tests salt samples for iodine using the iCheck machine.
During a laboratory recognition ceremony, representatives of accredited laboratories pose with their certificates of recognition with Ben Manyindo (far left), the executive director of UNBS. With support of SPRING/Uganda, UNBS trained, assessed, and recognized five laboratories to help with the analysis of fortified foods.
Jessica Namusoke, listens to Winnie Nanyonga, a shopkeeper, as she explains about fortification. To inform the public about how to identify fortified products, SPRING organized a media campaign with radio talk shows. Additionally, 10,000 posters and 40,000 cutouts resembling fortified products on the market were distributed to shops and supermarkets. Each encouraged consumers to look out for the big blue “F” on the packs of products to know if they are fortified or not.
During a meeting with members of the National Working Group on Food Fortification (NWGFF), members acknowledged that there is increased awareness about fortified foods, however there is still a gap because fortified maize flour is not widely available on the market.
SPRING/Uganda staff and partners during a learning exchange in Tanzania. This was after a NWGFF resolution to learn about Tanzania’s Sanku Project and how Uganda can borrow from it. Sanku is an affordable technology that enables small- and medium-scale, village-level mills to cost-effectively fortify their flour.
Millers removing debris from the maize grain at a milling plant. SPRING carried out a survey to identify the number of maize millers in the country and the number of those who fortify. It was found that majority of the small and medium scale millers do not fortify their maize flour. But since the average Ugandan most likely consumes flour from such a small-scale miller, there is need to enable these millers to fortify.
Students of Nabisunsa Girls School eat maize meal (posho) and beans mixed with ground nuts. Since the majority of school meals are made using maize flour, SPRING is campaigning to encourage schools to buy fortified flour. This will also help to prevent and control anemia among schoolchildren, including adolescent girls. Furthermore, this will increase demand for fortified products by small and medium scale millers.