The Federal Government and nutrition stakeholders have partnered to enhance monitoring and compliance to ensure that food reaching citizens is enriched with essential micronutrients necessary for good health.
The Director and Head of the Nutrition Department, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Mrs Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi said this during the Digital Fortification Quality Traceability Plus (DFQT+) Digital Lab workshop on Thursday in Lagos.
The DFQT+ platform is an innovative digital platform that represents a significant leap forward in addressing long-standing challenges within Nigeria’s food fortification ecosystem.
The platform aims to create unprecedented transparency and traceability in the critical area of micronutrient fortification.
It was developed with input from key stakeholders including government agencies, food producers, and technical advisory groups.
Bako-Aiyegbusi noted that issues of nutrition are multisectoral, requiring collaborative efforts that would assist in overcoming the hurdles that have hindered the full realisation of fortification programmes.
She emphasised that Nigeria has a high prevalence of micronutrient deficiency, which has been associated with poor dietary intake, putting citizens, especially mothers and children, at risk.
“So we are now encouraging large-scale consumption of fortified foods. And there is a need for us to be assured that the producers are fortifying the food in line with the data.
“Today, we are looking at a platform that has been jointly developed by governments and partners to ensure that as the producers are producing and fortifying those food items, they are carrying out quality control.
“The data they are inputting should be in line with the quality, the quantity of the micronutrients that the producers are supposed to use,” she said.
Bako-Aiyegbusi said the DFQT+ platform would standardise reporting and enhance evidence-based nutritional decision-making process.
“Our partnership will focus on exploring opportunities for scaling up this innovative platform and integrating it into our national fortification strategy.
“Together, we are laying the groundwork for a healthier future for all Nigerians,” she said.
Similarly, Director of, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mrs Eva Edwards said the DFQT+ platform would strengthen the National Food Fortification Programmes.
Edwards noted that Nigeria has mandatory food fortification of some selected food items including wheat flour, maize flour, composite flour, vegetable oil, sugar and iodisation of salt.
“The traceability platform is being piloted with three vegetable oil industries. And they’re looking at the level of vitamin A fortification.
“So if we see that the levels are below 20,000 IU per kilogram, then that activates us to step out and go into that facility,” she said.
According to her, the DFQT+ platform assists in transiting the manual fortification information onto a digital platform that can be accessed in real-time, to improve enforcement, transparency and traceability across the value chain.
She said this would limit resources for monitoring and enforcement, adding that it’s a win-win situation for the government, producers and consumers.
Commenting, Samson Rindap, Technical Manager, Apple and Pear Ltd., said the platform has assisted in enhancing industry standards, transparent systems and technology transfer in food fortification.
Also,the President, Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), Prof. Salisu Abubakar said NSN and the Nigerian Institute of Food and Technology had been leading the advisory group for the initiative, stressing that DFQT+ would strengthen the food fortification chain nationwide.
The DFQT+ since its inauguration in April 2024, has brought together six pioneering stakeholders, including regulatory agencies alongside leading food producers.
The regulatory agencies are National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
The food producers are PZ Wilmar, Sunola Oil, and Apple & Pears Ltd.
The programme organised by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), aimed to create a more accountable, efficient, and healthier food fortification ecosystem.
NAN
