USAID AFFORD: Fighting Malnutrition through Large-Scale Food Fortification

This global Feed the Future activity is working with the private sector and other stakeholders to improve nutrition, health, and economic growth by supporting large-scale food fortification.

Context

Diets lacking essential nutrients like vitamin A, iron, folic acid, zinc, and iodine threaten the health and well-being of the most economically and nutritionally vulnerable population groups, especially women and children. It is estimated that as many as 1.2 billion women of reproductive age globally have one or more micronutrient deficiencies, as do more than 372 million preschool-aged children. This “hidden hunger” is particularly severe during times of food insecurity and rising food prices, as vulnerable populations struggle to consume varied and nutritious diets.

Opportunity

Large-scale food fortification is a proven and efficient way of combating “hidden hunger” by adding essential vitamins and minerals to the staple foods that people already consume. More than 140 countries mandate fortification as a public health measure, but compliance with these requirements remains low in many places.

Part of the Feed the Future initiative, the USAID Advancing Food Fortification Opportunities to Reinforce Diets (USAID AFFORD) activity puts business at the center of the solution, working with food processors and other stakeholders around the globe to promote large-scale food fortification.

Strategy

USAID AFFORD is a Leader with Associates award, with options for future Mission/operating unit associate awards or buy-ins.

Taking a holistic approach, the USAID AFFORD activity focuses on four core priorities:

• Placing the food industry at the center of the solution: To overcome fortification-related challenges, the activity fosters trust and collaboration between food processors, governments, and other stakeholders. USAID AFFORD works to ensure that food businesses have the technical assistance, finance, and supportive ecosystem they need to integrate food fortification into their operations.
• Data-driven decision-making: USAID AFFORD helps provide timely, localized data that accurately informs governments and key stakeholders and enables appropriate policies and demand-driven technical assistance. Accurate data is also the evidence that empowers civil society to advocate for improved government monitoring and industry compliance.
• Convergence of innovations: By facilitating the improvement of monitoring tools, data visualization, training, monitoring and evaluation, and cross-sector accountability, USAID AFFORD helps enable a response that cuts across sectors and disciplines and convenes key stakeholders around the design and implementation of solutions.
• Ecosystem approach: USAID AFFORD engages with public, private, and civil society actors at the national, regional, and global levels, expanding and sustaining interventions, mobilizing commitment, leadership, and investment, and fostering better collaboration to scale food fortification.

Results

USAID AFFORD is a five-year Cooperative Agreement, Leader with Associates Award, that began September 1st, 2022 and runs through August 31st, 2027. In addition to its global Leader-level activities, USAID AFFORD aims to work in eight countries (identified in partnership with USAID and USAID Missions) to support LSFF programming. 

Partners

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) leads the U.S. Government’s international development and disaster assistance through partnerships and investments that save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people emerge from humanitarian crises and progress beyond assistance.

TechnoServe (TNS) is a nonprofit organization operating in almost 30 countries around the world who partners with women and men in low income communities to ensure they gain the skills, confidence, and connections to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries.

Food Fortification Initiative (FFI) is a center based at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health which champions effective grain fortification to provide nutrition that individuals need to be smarter, stronger, and healthier.

ISF Advisors (ISF) is a strategic and financial advisory group committed to mobilizing capital for a more sustainable, equitable, and productive global food system.

Nutrition International (NI), formerly the Micronutrient Initiative, is an international non-profit that works to eliminate vitamin and mineral deficiencies in low-income and developing countries.

For more information

For more information about how AFFORD can provide support, please contact the Agreement Officer’s Representative, Ingrid Weiss (iweiss@usaid.gov) or Project Director, Brent Wibberley (bwibberley@tns.org).