NI Food Fortification Programme holds Annual Progress Review Meeting in Karachi

Nutrition International's (NI) Food Fortification Programme held its Annual Progress Review Meeting in Karachi on October 31 (Thursday).

NI's Annual Progress Review Meetings are held every year whereby all the key stakeholders critically review and discuss progress and prepare future of action.

NI’s ARM in Karachi was attended by the industry i.e., Pakistan Flour Mills Association and Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association, including the Premix producers and suppliers. Flour mills championing the wheat flour fortification in Pakistan also attended the meeting. As per the reported figures, 62,000 MT fortified flour produced in Sindh during the last year.

Additional Secretary of the Food Department and Director of the Sindh Food Authority assured all of support to the industry so that fortified food could be ensured to reduce malnutrition in Sindh. National Managers of NI Zameer Haider and Muhammad Qavi Khan presented the overall progress of NI, while Provincial Managers Hafeezullah Ghambhir and Mueen Qureshi shared the ongoing efforts of NI in Sindh regarding the Large-scale Food Fortification.

NI holds Annual Progress Review meetings every year with objectives: a) to review progress, address the challenges, and make necessary course corrections for effective implementation of the LSFF program, b) to sensitize and advocate enabling policies for smooth implementation of wheat flour and oil/ghee fortification activities, c) to do advocacy with provincial food departments/authorities to allocate resources for effective enforcement and QAQC.

Nutrition International (NI) has been working in Pakistan since 2001 to improve the health of people in need, especially women and children, through better nutrition. NI has been implementing Large Scale Food Fortification Program to support government regulatory bodies and the industry in scaling up and sustaining fortification of staple food commodities i.e., wheat flour and oil/ghee, in the country to address micronutrient deficiencies.