THE FIRST GLOBAL SUMMIT ON FOOD FORTIFICATION
Thursday 11 June 2015: The countdown has begun towards the world’s first global summit on food fortification – #FutureFortified – which will open 90 days from today in Arusha, Tanzania. The summit, which runs between 9 – 11 September 2015, will play a key role in the global effort to reinvigorate interest, awareness and investment in food fortification as a means to help eliminate the critical challenge of malnutrition.
Co-hosted by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the Government of Tanzania, #FutureFortified will bring together more than 300 international experts including governments from across the world, health professionals, international development organizations, policymakers, donors, industry, academia and civil society, to forge a vision and strategy for food fortification to address the catastrophic challenges of micronutrient deficiency and malnutrition. Taking place during the year that the world will agree the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), the Global Summit will present key successes of food fortification to date in addressing micronutrient deficiencies and the challenges that remain in making sure everyone in the world can access nutritious diets.
Micronutrient deficiency, otherwise known as ‘hidden hunger’ is a lack of the vital micronutrients such as iron, zinc, iodine or Vitamin A, needed to live a health life. Over two billion people – one in three people on the planet – suffer from hidden hunger, and its consequences can be disastrous. Hidden huger affects individuals and whole societies, with women and children especially impacted. It results in poor physical and mental health, increased child and maternal mortality and reduced cognitive development. Hidden hunger can, through its consequences, effectively trap many individuals and societies in a vicious cycle of poverty.
Of the available interventions for improving nutrition and tackling hidden hunger, food fortification, namely the adding of small amounts of micronutrients such as Vitamin A and iodine to staple foods and condiments such as flour and salt, has been shown to be one of the safest and most cost-effective measures to increase micronutrient intake and improve people’s health and productivity on a large scale.
GAIN’s Executive Director, Marc Van Ameringen commented:
“Malnutrition affects billions of people. Yet with the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals this year and their emphasis on ending malnutrition, we have a unique opportunity to secure support for proven and scalable interventions that can help to reduce malnutrition. Food fortification is one such intervention. We know it works, is safe and is cost-effective. #FutureFortified, the global summit on food fortification is our opportunity to secure crucial support to expand and strengthen food fortification to ultimately transform billions of people’s lives for the better.”
#FutureFortified is hosted by GAIN and the Government of Tanzania, and co-convened by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), The African Union (AU), UNICEF, USAID, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
A selection of leading technical partners invited to play a leading role in the Summit include Helen Keller International (HKI), Micronutrient Initiative (MI), The Micronutrient Forum, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Food Fortification Initiative (FFI), Iodine Global Network (formerly ICCIDD GN), PATH, Project Healthy Children, Sight and Life.
For further information including registration to attend the summit, please visit www.gainhealth.org/future-fortified
Individuals can also follow discussions on Twitter @futurefortified or via facebook.com/FutureFortified and tweet using the official campaign hashtag #Futurefortified
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