When
15-24 January 2025
Where
Philippines
Summary
Representatives from the Food Fortification Initiative (FFI) and Nutrition International (NI) traveled to the Philippines to advocate for updating the national wheat flour fortification standard to include folic acid and bioavailable forms of iron to reduce neural tube defects. During the visit, stakeholders held a Flour Industry Consultation Workshop with 14 milling companies, government agencies, and premix suppliers, where millers raised no prohibitive technical barriers to the proposed changes. Following the workshop, the team participated in meetings with the National Nutrition Council (NNC) and the Sub-Technical Working Group on Wheat Flour Fortification to address industry concerns regarding monitoring, policy issuance, and public awareness, paving the way to advance a Governing Board Resolution to amend the national standard.
