Uganda: Despite Challenges Food Producers Continue to Fortify Food

Despite an unprecedented global health crisis, many Ugandan food producers continue to fortify foods in line with national standards.

To better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic had—and continues to—affect food producers and country commitments to fortify, FFI conducted a fortification assessment in Uganda in early 2021. FFI staff based in Uganda visited wheat flour, maize flour, and oil producers in the country to ascertain the status of fortification and update FFI’s fortified food producer inventory.

After a year of COVID-19-induced lockdowns, staffing shortages, and supply chain issues, the assessment revealed that nearly all wheat flour, 90% of oil, and 6% of locally produced maize flour continued to be fortified based on national standards. Although producers experienced a myriad of operational challenges due to the pandemic such as a reduced workforce, physical distancing requirements, and sluggish supply chains, these challenges did not significantly affect wheat flour or oil fortification. Most producers continued to produce fortified wheat flour and oil that complied with national standards.

One key strategy that producers adopted to cope with COVID-19 challenges and ensure compliance to national fortification standards was to implement daily premix reconciliation, a method to determine the amount of pre-measured vitamins and minerals—premix—added during processing to fortify food.

Premix reconciliation is based on the quantity of premix used and the quantity of food produced over the same time to determine compliance. Without using additional resources, producers can use premix reconciliation to determine compliance to fortification standards.

Yet the assessment also revealed challenges, many of which were exacerbated by COVID-19, related to data collection and fortification compliance monitoring that producers and regulatory inspectors faced. These challenges were most acutely felt by maize flour producers. Producers reported that the pandemic had damaged the country’s economy and consumers’ demand, decreased the overall supply of food, and hampered access to fortified foods.

In May 2021, FFI presented key findings of the assessment and resulting recommendations with Uganda’s National Working Group on Food Fortification, which includes national fortification stakeholders and development partners. With COVID-19 a continued reality in 2021, the assessment’s findings and recommendations sought to enhance compliance during and after the pandemic. Key findings and recommendations include:

Due to low demand for flour from school closures and the economic downturn, industries operated at very low capacity, thus enabling physical distancing, and reducing pressure on staff shortages.
Despite the country’s strict lockdown and closed borders, premix was airlifted into Uganda rather than shipped to ports.
Continuous social marketing and public awareness on the importance of fortified foods was vital to remind consumers of the health benefits of consuming fortified foods.

Whether in Uganda or globally, conducting monitoring assessments during the pandemic, as are feasible, is critical to addressing operational challenges from COVID-19 and ensuring food producers continue to fortify. FFI’s assessment enabled both industry partners and regulatory agencies to understand the impact that COVID-19 had on fortified food producers, yet highlighted the resilience of food producers equipped with tools and resources that help them comply with standards.