What  we  are  trying  to  solve

More than half of pregnant women in India suffer from anaemia

(NFHS-5)

More than two thirds of young children in India suffer from anaemia

(NFHS-5)

Anaemia has a range of negative health effects. It can cause tiredness and fatigue, impair physical growth and cognitive development and lead to adverse reproductive outcomes.

(WHO, 2023)

​A  Solution:  Fortification

The most common form of anaemia in India and globally is iron-deficiency anaemia. One potential way of preventing and reducing iron-deficiency anaemia is food fortification. Fortification is the addition of essential micronutrients to staple foods - such as rice, milk, edible oil, salt and flour - to reduce micronutrient deficiencies (like iron deficiency anaemia) at scale. 

​Fortification is:

• evidence based: there is a wealth of international evidence for the effectiveness of food fortification;
• highly cost-effective: it is low cost to add micronutrients to food; and 
• scalable: fortification can be implemented by existing food producers and distributors and does not require consumers to significantly change their behaviour.

​Learn more about fortification here.

Our  Approach  To  Fortification

At Fortify Health, we support millers and state governments in India to fortify chakki atta with iron, folic acid and Vitamin B12, in line with standards set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). 

​We operate through three work streams:

• Open Market Support: We support millers to fortify the chakki atta they produce for the open market, providing them with the equipment, premix and training they need to implement fortification.
• Partnership Support: We work with governments, quasi-government and non-government organisations in India to mainstream wheat flour fortification through social safety net programs. Our support varies, but we typically provide partners with monitoring support or technical assistance to help them to implement fortification. 
• Evidence Generation: We conduct monitoring and evaluation of activities to inform the public about the value of food fortification.

​​Fortify Health aims to reach at least 25 million people by the end of 2025 through a combination of open market channels and government safety net schemes. Learn more about our work here.

What  have  we  done  so  far?

28,237

Metric tonnes of fortified atta produced by our mill partners each month
(average across October 2024 - December 2024)

119

Partnership agreements signed with mills across India
(by end of December 2024)

6,483,730

Beneficiaries reached each month
(estimated, in December 2024)

Our organisational
​brochure

Latest News

Partnerships

CFTRI

​IIT Delhi

​Food Fortification Initiative

Our  mill  partners  include:

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