Egypt - Flour Fortification Project

The Project is part of the Egypt National Food Fortification Program which aims to reduce micronutrient deficiencies, particularly, iron and folic acid, amongst vulnerable and at-risk groups.

Two of the most affected groups are children two to five years old and women of reproductive age. The 2005 Egypt DHS shows that the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia among children two to five is 40%, the same prevalence among women of reproductive age. The Project will be augmenting current iron supplementation efforts to help achieve the National Food Fortification Program’s objective. The Program’s iron and folic acid fortification objectives and projects are being monitored by the National Fortification Alliance.

The GAIN funded Project will be implemented by the World Food Programme, Egypt Country Office as the Executing Agency.
Iron fortification started in Egypt in 1996 with the school biscuit program. In 2004, the Ministry of Health and Population completed a 2-year pilot fortification trial of baladi bread with iron and folic acid. The pilot became a vast source of data, experiences, and lessons learned that informed the Project. Since baladi bread is a government subsidized commodity, the expansion of the pilot into a nationwide baladi bread fortification program was taken on by the Ministry of Social Services (MoSS), the ministry responsible for the Subsidization Program of the Government of Egypt (GOE).

The MoSS had a leading role in the preparation of the Project.
The Project will make available to children two to five years of age and women of reproductive age, including the poor, fortified baladi bread, the staple food generally consumed by low income populations throughout the country, by fortifying wheat flour used in baking baladi bread. By the end of three years, the Project is expected to fortify 100% of all wheat flour for baladi bread, projected at about 6.5 million metric tons per year.

A food control system will be implemented to ensure the quality of both the fortified wheat flour and the fortified baladi bread. A social marketing and communication campaign, made up of advocacy and consumer education, will be undertaken to address rumors and misconceptions and allay fears about fortification and micronutrients (iron and folic acid), create awareness of the benefits of micronutrients and fortification, and to promote the consumption of fortified baladi bread among the Project’s target groups.

To ensure effective implementation, the fortification will happen in phases, bringing in new mills and new Governorates with each phase. Phase 1, 12 mills in Part 1 and 33 mills in Part 2; Phase 2, 29 mills in Part 1 and 27 mills in Part 2; Phase 3 42 mills.

The Project will emphasize close cooperation among stakeholders through active membership in the National Fortification Alliance, whose current members come from government institutions, consumer organizations, NGOs in civil society, the media, and international development agencies. This broad participatory membership base will enable stakeholders to share expertise and to facilitate the sustainability of the national fortification program.

The Project is also expected to benefit from a Government contribution of USD 24 million comprising premix, equipment, manpower and quality control over the 5 years.