ADM Cares Partners with the Food Fortification Initiative to Fight Hidden Hunger for 1 Billion People Worldwide
ADM Cares, ADM's corporate social investment program, recently renewed its partnership to support the Food Fortification Initiative, a non-profit organization based at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health that works to strengthen nutrition by helping governments, food producers, and civil society establish high-impact food fortification programs.
The initiative’s work reaches 1 billion people across 26 countries in its effort to prevent hidden hunger, a type of malnutrition that occurs when people are not able to get enough of the essential vitamins and minerals in their diet that they need to survive and thrive. One in two preschool-aged children and two in three women of reproductive age worldwide suffer from hidden hunger. Hidden hunger increases a person’s vulnerability to infectious disease, compromises child growth and development, and can lead to life-threatening birth defects of the brain and spine and anemia.
Adding vitamins and minerals such as iron and folic acid to staple foods—a process known as fortification or enrichment—is one of the most cost-effective, safe, and sustainable ways to prevent hidden hunger. Food fortification is not new; starting over a century ago in Europe and North America, it has a long history of virtually eliminating diseases like rickets, goiter, pellagra, and beriberi worldwide. More than 125 low-, middle-, and high-income countries mandate the fortification of maize flour, oil, rice, salt, and/or wheat flour with key nutrients.
“Food fortification is a key aspect to improving nutritional development for millions of people around the world, and with hunger relief being at the heart of our purpose, we are once again thrilled to partner with the Food Fortification Initiative to help close the gap between food security and nutrition deficits,” said Jennifer Ballinger, director, ADM Cares. “The Food Fortification Initiative’s mission of improving nutrition on a global scale very much aligns with ADM’s vision of unlocking the power of nature to enrich lives. We are proud to support these efforts in helping give children and families the best possible start in life.”
ADM’s support will enable the Food Fortification Initiative’s work to empower civil society advocates like Dr. Papatya Alkan Genca, former Board Member of the Turkish Spina Bifida Association and the International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, to advocate for food fortification in Turkey.
“As a woman with spina bifida, I am part of a community that would have benefitted from food fortification,” Dr. Genca said. “While fortification is not a magic wand that cures all, it offers the best tool to reduce the prevalence of birth defects of the brain and spine, such as spina bifida, helping battle their economic, medical, and socio-psychological repercussions.”
Dr. Genca noted, “Patient representatives and patient-led organizations are indispensable to the successful implementation of fortification because nothing about us can be achieved without effectively including us in the process. That's why a robust, meaningful collaboration with FFI, the public and private sectors, and civil society is critical for building a world where global knowledge and best-practice examples help combat hidden hunger and related inequalities.”
About the Food Fortification Initiative
The Food Fortification Initiative (FFI) is a public, private, and civic partnership that aims to improve health globally by assisting governments, regional bodies, civil society partners, and food producers to plan, implement, and monitor food fortification programs. Based at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, FFI has worked for more than 20 years across geographies to support the large-scale fortification of flour and rice with essential nutrients like iron, folic acid, and zinc to combat hidden hunger and its consequences, including iron-deficiency anemia and birth defects of the brain and spine.
About ADM Cares
ADM's contribution is provided through ADM Cares, ADM's corporate social investment program, which helps sustain and strengthen communities where ADM colleagues work, live, and operate by directing funding, volunteerism, and industry knowledge to initiatives and organizations that drive meaningful social, economic and environmental progress worldwide.
About ADM
ADM unlocks the power of nature to enrich the quality of life. We’re a premier global human and animal nutrition company, delivering solutions today with an eye to the future. We’re blazing new trails in health and well-being as our scientists develop groundbreaking products to support healthier living. We’re a cutting-edge innovator leading the way to a new future of plant-based consumer and industrial solutions to replace petroleum-based products. We’re an unmatched agricultural supply chain manager and processor, providing food security by connecting local needs with global capabilities. And we’re a leader in sustainability, scaling across entire value chains to help decarbonize our industry and safeguard our planet. From the seed of the idea to the outcome of the solution, we give customers an edge in solving the nutritional and sustainability challenges of today and tomorrow. Learn more at www.adm.com.