GAIN partners with local millers organizations to introduce a major fortified wheat flour effort in India

Fortified wheat flour products now available in Madhya Pradesh state, India.

People suffering from malnutrition in Madhya Pradesh state, in central India, will now have access to essential vitamins and minerals as fortified wheat flour is introduced.

This region suffers a high burden of malnutrition, and the population’s nutritional status will improve significantly as the key nutrients are included in popular staple food.

Shaping Markets to Combat Undernutrition

The project works closely with local milling businesses in the Madhya Pradesh state. 

With technical and financial support from the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), the Roller Flour Millers Federation of India and the regional Madhya Pradesh Roller Flour Millers Association help introduce the flour.

The partnership assists individual millers to voluntarily fortify the flour - known locally as Fortified Atta – and facilitate its supply through open market commercial channels.

In the project’s first phase, Atta fortified with iron folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin A, will be available in selected brands only. More flour millers will join the program in the next phase to cover additional wheat roller flour mills in Madhya Pradesh.

‘Wheat Flour Fortification has a Great Potential of Enriching the Nutritional Quality of Food’

GAIN's Dr Rajan Sankar (far right) at the official launch of its fortified wheat flour program Madhya Pradesh state, India.

Dr Rajan Sankar, GAIN’s Senior Advisor for South Asia and Country Manager, India, spoke of the importance of wheat flour fortification at the official project launch. “Wheat flour fortification has a great potential to enrich the nutritional quality of food and in turn, giving people a healthy start to life.

“All that is required is a will to harness the potential for wheat flour fortification, and implement and scale it up, which we aim to do in this project.”

Shri Kailash Vijayvargiya, the Honourable Minister of Commerce, Industries and Food Processing officially launched the product in November 2011 in the presence of representatives from the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, government departments and also the press.

Discover how GAIN helped fortify Baladi bread here...