Penjani Mkambula POLICY SEMINAR Virtual Event - Micronutrients in emergencies: How can we prevent an increase in hidden hunger? Co-Organized by the Micronutrient Forum and IFPRI JUN 9, 2020 - 09:30 AM TO 10:45 AM EDT

1. Doubling Down on Food Fortification in the
Context of COVID-19 Pandemic
Penjani Mkambula
GAIN

2. www.gainhealth.org
Presentation Outline
1. Impact of COVID-19 on Food Fortification
Supply Chain Disruptions
Economic Factors
Government Policies
2. Doubling Down on Food Fortification in Context of COVID-19 and Beyond
Four Point Plan

3. www.gainhealth.org
Impact of COVID-19 on Food Fortification
Program management and supply chains
International supply chains
Premix
Commodity export bans or quotas (e.g. wheat)
Access to markets - especially SME producers
Coordination and access - factories/government
Fruits, vegetables and other perishable nutritious foods less available due to COVID-19
related supply chain disruptions. Fortifying the readily available staple foods helps
address nutrient intakes across the general population

4. www.gainhealth.org
Impact of COVID-19 on Food Fortification
Economic factors
 Limited forex availability inability to import
 Currency depreciation higher cost of imports
 Increase in freight/premix costs higher tax burden
and prices
Government policies on fortification
 Monitoring and enforcement
 Suspension of surveillance programs

5. www.gainhealth.org
Doubling Down on Fortification - Four Point Plan
1. Build Resilience - Fix Global And National Supply Chain Vulnerabilities
 Vit and mineral premixes on essential commodities list - customs green lanes, forex prioritization.
 Strengthening national premix supply systems.
 Declaring food industry logistics suppliers as essential service providers
2. Address Trade Barriers.
 Exempt vitamin and mineral premixes from import duties, taxes and levies.
 Advocate for removal of export restrictions/quotas by key grain exporters.
3. Fortify, Fortify, Fortify….
 Maintain existing programs, scale up new ones and integrate into social safety nets
4. Online Is The New Normal.
 Coordinate, manage and provide technical assistance online
COVID-19 containment measures are causing disruptions to nutritious foods supply chains.

6. THANK YOU