Solomon Islands Celebrates Strong Compliance to Fortification Standards

Since fortification efforts began in 2015, FFI technical experts have been key to building a robust wheat flour and rice fortification program for the Solomon Islands. FFI’s support, funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT), ended in June 2021. Yet the program continues to demonstrate the value of FFI’s mission to create sustainable, high-impact, and well-monitored fortification programs.

Key successes during the project include training and supporting the Solomon Islands Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) to implement audit and inspection requirements for wheat flour fortification and promoting, justifying, and facilitating changes to legislation to introduce fortification of rice. The success of the project can be seen by the high compliance rate of both producers and importers to the standards. In many countries, compliance to national fortification standards can be challenging to achieve and maintain. However, throughout its work in the Solomon Islands, FFI provided millers with the tools and resources to ensure compliance and helped create a easy-to-use import monitoring protocol for the country’s regulatory agencies.

Despite challenges from COVID-19, border control agencies in the Solomon Islands have successfully maintained the import monitoring protocol for rice fortification throughout the pandemic, which ensured that all imported rice was fortified. In coordination with Customs and Biosecurity, the Environmental Health Unit of MHMS implemented a compliance and enforcement framework for importing fortified rice that was developed in partnership with FFI. The framework requires each shipment of rice to provide certificates of compliance and testing.

According to MHMS quarterly reports, certificate checks and spot testing at ports show 100% compliance. With these impressive findings, MHMS committed long-term inspection resources to oversee fortification compliance and to continue building a healthier future for Solomon Islanders.

The project has been so successful that it has inspired other countries (e.g., Vanuatu) and importers in the region to consider or endorse fortification of rice. Though FFI and DFAT’s work in the country came to a close in 2021, efforts to strengthen local capacity and sustainability have ensured that the Solomon Islands’ fortification program will continue to build a smarter, stronger, and healthier future.

To learn more about key achievements and lessons learned through FFI’s work in the Solomon Islands, see this recap and timeline or read the project’s final report.