Overview
What We Do
Photo: Muna Ibrahim/UNICEF
The global health burden of vitamin and mineral deficiencies is profound.
The global health burden of vitamin and mineral deficiencies is profound. 1 in 2 preschool-aged children and 2 in 3 women of reproductive age worldwide suffer from at least one vitamin or mineral deficiency, increasing vulnerability to infectious disease and compromising child growth and development. Vitamins and minerals, also known as micronutrients, used in fortification such as iron and folic acid prevent birth defects of the brain and spine as well as anemia caused by nutritional deficiencies.
The Food Fortification Initiative (FFI) is a public, private, and civic partnership that provides technical assistance to governments, regional bodies, food producers, and implementing agencies to plan, implement, and monitor fortification of industrially milled wheat flour, maize flour, and rice. FFI is the only global group that focuses exclusively on these three commonly consumed grains as a means of addressing the global burden of micronutrient deficiencies.
FFI currently works in five broad areas—Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and India—to ensure high nutritional need countries seeking to implement national food fortification programs are provided with the guidance and resources required to do so. We use a unique data-driven approach to help countries to plan, implement, and monitor a sustainable country-led program.
We also track the global progress of fortification in all regions: Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, India, and the Middle East.
Laura Rowe, former FFI Deputy Director, discusses how FFI fights micronutrient deficiencies and changes the lives of so many people on the Charity Talks podcast.
About FFI (PDF)
Where We Work
FFI currently works in five broad areas—Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and India—to ensure high nutritional need countries seeking to implement national fortification programs are provided with the guidance and resources required to do so. We use a unique data-driven approach to help countries to plan, implement, and monitor a sustainable country-led fortification program.
We also track the global progress of fortification in all regions: Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, India, and the Middle East.
Explore FFI Regions
