Skip to main content

Fortification

Advocacy Video: For Very Little, Gain More

The 2015 Fortification Assessment Coverage Tool found that 92 percent of households in Uganda consume maize flour. For school-going children, especially those in boarding school, maize flour is a staple food, served three meals per day for six days each week. However, maize has low levels of vitamin C, iron, zinc, calcium, sodium, and potassium, which are required for healthy growth. Although these could be added by other means, the most cost-effective solution to improve the quality of school-going children’s meals is through food fortification.

Fortifying the Future: SPRING/Uganda Assembles Maize Millers to Discuss Potential for Fortification

SPRING/Uganda presented on the current status of maize milling nationwide and the way forward for millers who would like to fortify during a dialogue and dissemination event attended by more than 40 stakeholders. During this one-day meeting, millers and members of the National Working Group on Food Fortification discussed the challenges and opportunities in fortifying maize flour.

SPRING/Uganda Hands Over Regional Health Community Coordination Role

For the last two years, SPRING/Uganda chaired the inspection and enforcement working group of the East Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC). To ensure the sustainability of the working group, SPRING transitioned this role to the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, which has been one of SPRING’s key partners in ensuring adherence to fortification regulations and standards.

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.