Feasibility Study of Iron Fortification of Rice in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The burden of feeding a growing population while improving health outcomes has reinvigorated the exploration of fortification of staple commodities in many countries. While many commodities such as wheat have been successfully fortified, and introduced into markets around the world, large scale implementation of rice fortification faces many roadblocks including taste and consumer acceptability of fortified kernels and difficulty in entering highly fragmented value chains. To better understand the potential for rice fortification (with iron and possibly additional micronutrients), this report shares findings from a desk study completed by the Agriculture & Food Systems Institute in support of ILSI Japan’s Center for Health Promotion. This report contains information on the current health situation, rice production and distribution systems, and potential partners in ten countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.