Global Progress
Maize
New toolkit available
FFI recently launched a communications toolkit with resources to advocate for folic acid fortification of corn masa
There were decreases from 2022 to 2023 in the amount of maize flour available for human consumption (-5.9%) and the amount of fortified maize flour (-6.3%). However, there was a large increase in the amount of industrially milled maize flour (+17%). Countries like Argentina and Brazil contributed the most to the increase in the amount of industrially milled maize flour. South Africa is one of a few countries that fortified maize flour in large amounts but saw a 51% decrease in fortified maize flour this year, which likely contributed significantly to the overall drop in the amount of fortified maize.
When looking specifically at countries FFI considers good opportunities for fortification, the percentage of industrially milled maize flour that is fortified also decreased slightly, from 41.7% to 36.2%. This change is not because the amount of fortified maize flour has decreased but because the amount of industrially milled maize flour has increased. This represents growth in the amount of maize that has the potential to be fortified.
Compared to wheat or rice, a larger proportion of maize flour is processed in non-industrial mills, making it difficult to fortify. However, maize is a staple food in many countries, representing a large opportunity for addressing micronutrient deficiencies and their consequences where it is fortifiable.
(a) FAO data with additional, openly available data sources.
2022 estimates: 2020 FAOSTAT, Supply Utilization Accounts, Food (element 5141) 2020 Data: https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/SCL
2023 estimates: 2021 FAOSTAT, Supply Utilization Accounts, Food (element 5141) 2021 Data: https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/SCL
(b) FFI calculations.
