Millers for Nutrition Launches in Kenya to Increase Access to High-quality, Nutritious Staple Foods

As Kenya faces a dual threat of malnutrition and food safety due to Aflatoxin, ensuring the supply of safe, high-quality nutritious food is vital to the nation’s health and economic development. This calls for the need to ensure fortification requirements are met in a bid to supply nutritious diets.

Speaking today in Nairobi, Trade and Industry CS Rebecca Miano said inadequate intake of micro-nutrients is a significant public health concern globally and it affects millions of lives. The concept of micro-nutrients fortification index arises from the necessity to address this issue for purposes of improving the health and well-being of our citizens.

“I urge food manufacturers to adhere to the laid down food fortification regulations and invest in technologies that will guarantee the delivery of accurate and uniform fortification of their products,” she said.

The CS quantifying the level of fortification in food products gives us a chance to assess the nutritional status of our people thus granting us the opportunity to identify areas of nutrition that call for improvement.

Miano explained that micronutrient fortification entails a process that improves the nutritional value of staple foods by adding such essential micronutrients as iron, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin D and iodine.

She added that “In many parts of the world, staple foods and crucial ingredients such as flour, rice, salt and cooking oil are routinely fortified with essential micronutrients to ensure that even the most marginalised populations have access to adequate nutrition.”

“Numerous studies carried out in recent years confirm that food fortification programmes help in combating conditions like anaemia and goitre. By fortifying foods, governments save lives,” she said.

The CS urged food manufacturers and millers to continue working towards a future where all Kenyans can access nutritious and fortified foods. In addition, she also called on Kenyans to embrace healthy diets saying fortified foods do not provide all nutrients a person needs.

Miano encouraged all food manufacturers and particularly millers to continue working towards a future where every person has access to nutritious and fortified foods, regardless of their socioeconomic status or geographic location.

Also announced at the same event were this year’s winners of the Kenya Millers Fortification Index (KMFI) Awards, which recognize local food brands that are leading the way in improving the nutritional quality of their products. Unga Limited, United Millers Limited Mombasa Maize Millers were just some of the awardees at the ceremony.

In Kenya, Millers for Nutrition is collaborating closely with the Cereal Millers Association (CMA), which represents approximately 40 per cent of maize millers and over 90 per cent of wheat millers, to provide technical trainings to members and to scale up the KMFI awards. Millers for Nutrition is also working with the United Grain Millers Association (UGMA) and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) to help bridge industry knowledge gaps in food fortification.