GAIN The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

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GAIN The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

• Dr. Sally Stansfield
• Vice Chair of the GAIN
• Board of Directors

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As we know, two billion people suffer vitamin and
mineral deficiencies

• Iodine deficiency in pregnancy - most common
  cause of preventable mental retardation and brain
  damage - 10-15 lowering of average intellectual
  capacity.
• Vitamin A deficiency - affects 40-60 of children
  under-five in developing world, compromising
  immune systems, causing a million deaths a year.
• Iron deficiency - most widespread health
  problem, impairing normal mental development in
  40-60 of infants in the developing world,
  debilitating the health and energies of 500
  million women, leading to more than 60,000 deaths
  during childbirth a year. Lost productivity of up
  to 2 of GDP.
• Folate deficiency - responsible for 200,000
  severe birth defects a year in developing
  countries.

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Fortification is a Solution

• Fortified staple foods and condiments effectively
  prevent iron deficiency BEFORE a woman gets
  pregnant, thus protecting her babys brain.
• Fortification of flour with folic acid can
  prevent neural tube, and other birth defects.
• Addition of nutrients to staple foods and
  condiments does not change any qualities of the
  product, and improves its nutritional value.
• A long history of food fortification in nearly 30
  countries has shown it is safe and it works.

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Food producers as solution providers

• A woman who consumes 300 grams of bread per day
  made of fortified flour, will get one third to
  one half of her iron requirements. This will make
  a crucial difference to her health.
• Fortified bread can also provide enough folic
  acid to protect her baby from birth defects.

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GAIN, formed to accelerate food fortification

• Launched in 2002 at UN General Assembly Special
  Session on Children.

• Addressing vitamin and
• mineral deficiencies through
• fortification of commonly
• available and consumed
• processed staple foods and condiments.

• Mobilizing the private sector to deliver health
  benefits to the poor.

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GAINs Goal

• By 2008-2009
• GAIN aims to reach 1 billion people, most of whom
  are at risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies

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A Leadership and Service Hub for an Alliance of
Organizations
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GAIN provides partial funding and technical
support for national fortification programs

• Governed by a Board of Directors (Chair Jay
  Naidoo) and 10 other members
• GAIN Secretariat is located in Geneva,
  Switzerland (CEO Marc van Ameringen)
• Grants of max. 3 million US over 3 years are
  awarded to government and industry partners for
  programs to fortify food staples and condiments

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GAIN fosters the formation of National
Fortification Alliances (NFA)

• NFA is a cross sectoral partnership between
• government departments
• food industry
• scientific agencies/universities
• civil society
• NFA is the key platform to
• Develop and coordinate proposal submission
• Seek necessary financial resources and technical
  assistance
• Ensure compatibility with other national public
  health programs
• Ensure implementation, impact evaluation and
  sustainability

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GAIN works with millers in many countries to
fortify wheat flour and maize meal

• South Africa
• China
• Morocco
• Uzbekistan
• Pakistan
• Bolivia
• Dominican Republic
• Ghana
• Zambia
• Cote dIvoire
• Nigeria

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GAIN works with many other food production
sectors to fortify food

• GAIN works withsoy sauce producers in China
• With fish sauceproducers in Vietnam
• Edible oil producers in Mali, Morocco, Bolivia,
  Burkina Faso, Cote dIvoire, Nigeria
• Sugar producers in Nigeriaand Dominican Republic

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GAIN works with business and consumers

• In Operational Partnerships
• Business led fortification projects
• Consumer awareness raising and training
• In Strategic Alliances
• BAFF (Business Alliance for Food Fortification)
• FFI
• Oil Initiative
• Support to the 10 year business plan

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GAIN works with Business and Consumers to

• Scale up and consolidate existing fortification
  projects initiated by companies for the benefit
  of deficient and poor populations
• 2. Advance consumer groups activities, aiming
  at the promotion of fortified products
• 3. Increase coverage in countries where GAIN is
  not operating and increase coverage of targeted
  population groups, such as children
• Facilitate corporate partnerships for the
• GAIN Alliance partners.

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To-date GAIN has

• Catalysed 15 National Fortification Alliances -
  requiring public, private, civil society
• engagement.
• Awarded Competitive grants worth 38 million.
• Leveraged 350 million in private sector
  investments to deliver fortified products to
  the poor
• By yr 2006-07 existing programs will have
  reached 450 million people.
• At a cost of 27 cents per person per year.

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Fortified Productsare on the Market
Fish sauce Iron EDTA
Edible oils Vitamin A

• Wheat and
• Maize flours
• Vitamin A,
• iron ,
• folic acid,
• B vitamins,
• zinc

Soy sauce Iron EDTA