FFI Highlights Opportunity to Fortify the Pacific Islands

Responding to an urgent need in the Pacific Island region

The Pacific Island region grapples with high rates of micronutrient deficiencies, contributing to health issues, especially among children and women. Anemia, vitamin A deficiency, and iodine deficiency are prevalent in the Pacific Islands and can negatively affect maternal and child health. The World Health Organization estimates that anemia prevalence in the region ranges from 27-49% among children aged 6-59 months and 26-37% among women aged 15-49 years.

To respond to the region’s pressing nutritional needs, FFI created a proposal in 2023 to support 21 Pacific Island countries using a market-led, regional approach. The project will provide technical assistance to public, private, and civic sector partners in each of these island nations to ensure that high-quality fortified salt, wheat flour, and/or rice is widely available. For just over $6.8 million over five years, the project can reach vulnerable populations in the region, averting up to 189,277 cases of anemia among women of reproductive age and 440 cases of birth defects of the brain and spine.

The Pacific Island region relies on staple foods imported from a few key countries. To make food fortification more feasible for these food producers to implement and governments to regulate, FFI proposes to leverage the region’s collective power and work with countries to set harmonized, mandatory legislation and standards for fortification.

For nations lacking established fortification policies, FFI's proposed activities include in-depth supply chain analyses and the development of customized plans covering the entire spectrum from drafting and approving standards to implementation and monitoring procedures. For countries with existing fortification programs, FFI will provide support as needed, which may include increasing the number of staple foods that are fortified, offering technical assistance to harmonize national and regional standards, improving industry compliance, or strengthening government regulatory practices.

The adoption of food fortification will not only help countries in the region achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals but will also build a more resilient food system. Climate change is a clear threat to the region, making it more vulnerable to natural disasters and the food insecurity associated with these shocks. Climate change also diminishes the nutritional value of staple foods. Amidst these threats, food fortification emerges as a sustainable solution to build food security and strengthen the region’s nutrition resilience.