Regulation of food fortification will address nutrition challenges - Ndizeye

The practice of food fortification involves adding essential nutrients to processed foods. Vitamins and minerals such as iron, vitamin A, folic acid, iodine are added to staple foods to improve their nutritional content. This helps to alleviate nutrition deficiencies and currently Rwanda is on the verge of finalizing a law on food fortification. Health Times’s Solomon Asaba interviewed Damien Ndizeye, the Chairperson of the Rwanda National Food fortification Alliance for further elaboration. How far have you gone with arrangements to establish a law on fortifying foods in Rwanda? Food fortification in Rwanda is in its early stages because we have only one producer of fortified maize flour. Currently, fortified foods on the market have the same value like non-fortified foods, and regrettably consumers reach out more for those that are not fortified. It is indeed a problem; a processor cannot keep producing to compete with all other foods that are non fortified. Being part of the consumers association, we have assessed the market and concluded that there is more need to promote advocacy about the issue. Once we have campaigns that involve producers and consumers, the latter would be able to understand the advantages they miss. What is the progress of fortification in other East African countries, and does it affect marketability of the Rwandan products? Other countries already have laws on fortification and consumers there know that fortified products are better. In East Africa, producers find difficulty exporting products that are not fortified. In such laws there are guidelines for everyone to follow and that limits people from being complacent about good manufacturing practices. Such a move should also be regulated by the standards body, are you working with them? We are already working with Rwanda Standards Board. Actually standards have been developed and harmonised within the region for maize flour, sugar, cooking oil, wheat, and salt. As we talk right now, we are working on a ministerial instruction and when it is passed it will be a game changer for consumers and products that will be able to compete in the region. Are there any specific nutrients added to foods? First of all, fortified foods on the market should have a mark symbolising that they have passed through the due process. For example, cooking oil should have vitamin A added, maize and wheat flour boosted with iron and folic acid, sugar with Vitamin A and salt with iodine. How far have you gone with ironing out the challenges in fortification? Just in December, the Minister for Health and different stakeholders worked on regulations, but in the pipeline, there is a fortification decree that needs to be promulgated. Now the guidelines are at the stage of being signed. One reason why food is fortified is to address micro nutrient deficiencies, do you think having a law in place can further lower malnutrition figures? If these foods reach the community, it means more people will have access to both the food and the nutrients within. This would eventually reduce occurrence of nutritional deficiencies. Fortification is not very cheap; don’t you think this will raise the cost of products on the market? Yes, that is why exemptions are necessary for fortified foods. The price will increase and you know if it is too high, consumers cannot buy. On the other hand if exemptions are there, the price can be cheaper. However, prices going up wont have to exceed 2 per cent. Currently fortified maize flour receives some tax exemptions. What we need is to have a law in place and exemptions. Normally, when you fortify that means you are addressing micronutrient deficiency. A big gathering of experts in Copenhagen back in 2005 was asked to come up with key points that can address world issues, and one of them was food fortification. What is your call to the public and government? Tax exemptions are a plus for both consumers and producers. They will buy the products after they understand that they are affordable. It comes with the law in place. It is a big issue for our country because other states have the law in place that limit competition of our producers on the regional markets. How do you plan to sensitise people on the grassroots because they are the end users of the products? We have already started with an organisation called Project Health Children, and trained health workers within the districts. Now we want to roll out even a bigger campaign to cover the whole country. We shall also organize a workshop and invite stakeholders working in food related areas. What kind of challenges are you facing in the sensitisation campaigns? It is costly of course and there is need of skilled manpower. We have targets and plans but as you know policy makers are hard to reach. How are you working with the Ministry of Health? Last year we put in place a national food fortification alliance with all stakeholders and members, we have also invited stakeholders to be members. That is a big role in itself because we are open to working with other people to achieve these objectives. But we need more people in the health sector and non government organisations to come on board.