Project Healthy Children (PHC) is pleased to announce we have been invited to become a ‘partner’ with GAIN’s new Rice Fortification Resource Group (RiFoRG), joining organizations like DSM Nutritional Products, Micronutrient Initiative (MI), UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO), to play an active role in the advancement of rice fortification worldwide.
Formed in December 2009, RiFoRG is an international network of public and private partners “that has for its mandate the expansion of rice fortification globally.”
PHC Impact
Rice figures heavily into people’s diets in the countries in which we operate. In Liberia, rice plays such a central role in the diet that a person who has not eaten rice will simply say they have not eaten. Rice is a primary staple food in Honduras as well, with over 80% of households consuming it on a daily basis. Although overall percentages for daily consumption are lower in Rwanda and Malawi, rice is nevertheless considered one of the primary staple foods. And, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2004 Rice Study, the average person in Nepal consumes nearly 100 kilograms of rice annually.
Why Rice?
Rice is a vitally important vehicle to target for food fortification as approximately two-thirds of the world’s poor eat rice as their staple carbohydrate (and, therefore, their primary calorie source.)
To date, however, rice fortification has posed some serious technological challenges, proving to be more difficult than the fortification of flour, sugar, or oil. Technologies have been developed that produce superior fortified rice kernels that retain micronutrients after rinsing and cooking. However, these technologies are quite pricey and little data exists comparing the stability and effectiveness of different methods. Therefore, efforts are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the existing technologies and streamline the most cost-effective method.
RiFoRG and GAIN
RiFoRG serves as an advisory group and resource for interested countries on technical, advocacy, and regulatory matters related to rice fortification. RiFoRG takes a unique approach to fortification by targeting major rice producing and exporting countries (e.g. South East Asia, the Pacific Island nations, India, and China). They are currently focused on building a network to include key partners in the area of rice fortification, engaging all appropriate channels of rice production, carrying out country assessments, developing technical and advocacy tools, and contributing to the formulation of international guidelines.
Since its inception in 2002, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), working alongside more than 600 companies, has reached close to 400 million people with nutritionally enhanced food products in over 25 countries. They have received funding from a number of public and private sector donors, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
PHC is thrilled to work with GAIN as a part of RiFoRG’s efforts, and we look forward to learning from and contributing as an advisory partner as we continue our fight against worldwide malnutrition. You can learn more about RiFoRG by visiting their website: http://www.gainhealth.org/riforg/.