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ADB to Pilot Food Fortification Among Indonesia's Urban Poor

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (17 March 2005) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US$1.75 million grant, [ PDF ] from its Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR), financed by the Government of Japan, to pilot new interventions for micronutrient enriched food in Indonesia to help reduce iron, iodine and vitamin A deficiency among low-income groups.

The health and nutritional status of a significant portion of the population in many regions of Indonesia is substantially affected by micronutrient deficiencies. UNICEF estimates that 0.5% of the country's gross domestic product is lost due to iron deficiency, or $485 million in lost productivity.

Vitamin A deficiency, iron deficiency anemia, and iodine deficiency disorder are common problems in the country that contribute to morbidity, mortality, growth retardation, brain damage, and reduced cognitive and working capacities among children and adults.

The urban poor suffer most due to a shift in dietary patterns, a large portion of which can be addressed by fortified food. However, access to fortified food is often limited because of low purchasing power and poor distribution channels.

Control of micronutrient deficiencies through food fortification has increasingly gained attention at international conferences and in various studies.

"Reducing micronutrient deficiencies, sometimes called hidden hunger, through food fortification will help strengthen economies by lowering health care costs and increasing worker productivity," says Barbara Lochmann, an ADB Social Protection Specialist.

"Aside from this, food fortification will improve the cognitive development of children, which in turn will expand and sustain economic development."

Fortification is cost-effective and reaches broad populations at minimal cost. Fortifying flour, salt, and oil is an effective way to get essential vitamins and minerals into the food of low-income and at-risk populations.

"The technology is simple, the product quality unaffected, and the incremental price is low," adds Ms. Lochmann.

The project aims to reduce the prevalence of iodine deficiency disorder by 10% and improve the nutritional status among at-risk groups in selected cities by 2008.

The project will mobilize and train community-based organizations and nongovernment organizations to market "in-home" multi-micronutrient fortificants, also called "sprinkles," which are added to home-prepared food, to reduce iron deficiency anemia in about 5,000 children aged 6-59 months in poor neighborhoods of north Jakarta.

It will study the feasibility of locally producing modified "sprinkles" in collaboration with the Nutrition and Food Research Development Center in Bogor, local research centers, or universities.

The project will test the effectiveness of fortifying palm oil with vitamin A, since Indonesia is one of the world's largest producers of palm oil and data suggest that oils are the most suitable for carrying vitamin A. The trial will cover about 1 million people for 18 months in the city of Makassar (South Sulawesi).

The project will also help improve the quality of salt and wheat fortification by providing quality assurance equipment and training to food laboratories, reinforce fortification regulations, and raise public awareness of the benefits of micronutrient-enriched food in South Sulawesi and north Jakarta.

The Government will contribute the equivalent of $224,600 toward the project cost. The Directorate General of Community Health of the Ministry of Health is the executing agency for the project, which will be carried out over three years.

The Asian Development Bank is dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region through pro-poor sustainable economic growth, social development, and good governance. Established in 1966, it is owned by 63 members, with 45 from the region.

More at adb.org/media

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