Fortified foods will go a long way in tackling malnutrition, especially stunting among children, if adequate resources are invested in production, availability, and accessibility to the people in need, Civil Society organisations have said. Stakeholders in nutrition made the observation on August 21, as they discussed regulations on food fortification in Rwanda. Last year, Rwanda drafted regulatory guidelines, making fortification mandatory for maize, wheat, edible oil, sugar and salt. This comes at the time when stunting among Rwandan children stands at 35 per cent, according to estimates from the National Early Childhood Development Program (NECDP). Now, right groups suggest that food fortification— the practice of enriching food with additional essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals— will be critical in providing a balanced diet among Rwanda children. Paul Mbonyi, the Program Manager at Rwanda Consumers Rights Protection Organisation (ADECOR), said that in order to make the food affordable for all Rwandans there must be incentives, for instance, tax exceptions, on industries that make fortified foods. “Food fortification is vital as it averts the menace of the existence of micronutrients deficiencies, and offers additional nutrients at a reasonable price,” he explained. “The extensive scale production of fortified foods can assist in refining the global nutrition in Rwanda by supplying both the poor and the rich.” He noted that an unreliable supply of raw materials, packaging materials, unfair market competition, and limited capital are still some of the challenges to fortified food manufacturers. The price of fortification is also still high, costing Rwf10 to fortify a kilogramme of maize and Rwf45 on kilogramme of other cereals. Some of the foods that are fortified, Mbonyi explained, include cereals (mainly wheat and maize flours), milk and milk products, fats and oils, infant formula, and numerous beverages. The new regulatory guidelines also seek to facilitate registration and licensing of food distribution premises. According to Alice Muhimpundu, the Good Manufacturing Practices and Good Laboratory Practices Inspector at Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority, said child malnutrition is one of the “killer diseases” and is mostly caused by insufficient access to food, poor water, poor sanitation, inadequate health services, and scarce maternal and child care. Civil Society Organisations have also recommended the government increases the budget allocated to food security and nutrition efforts. Adeline Ufitinema, the Food and Nutrition Specialist at National Early Childhood Development Program (NECDP), this will help tackle stunting through steady funding to community-based nutrition programs, agriculture interventions, fortified blended food, parents evening forum and other social protection programs.
