India - Targeted Fortification Projects

1. Fortified infant food

GAIN in partnership with WFP (World Food Programme) will be providing fortified complementary food for ICDS centres throughout the state of Gujarat. It hopes to cover 400,000 infants between the ages of six months and three years in the preliminary stage. Weekly packets of powdered cereal containing minerals and vitamins will be distributed to the mothers who have to mix them with water or milk and feed them to their children.

2. Nutrient dense meal for HIV care

In Tamil Nadu in association with WFP and TNSACS (Tamil Nadu State Aids Control Society), GAIN is providing nutrient dense meals to people living with HIV. The aim is to position nutrition as an integral part of treatment and care for patients living with HIV/AIDS.

3. Sprinkles for children

In Rajasthan GAIN, in collaboration with UNICEF, will introduce sprinkles. Sachets containing essential nutrients will be distributed to mothers. The contents of the sachets have to be sprinkled in the child's home-cooked food. Sixty sachets per child are to be consumed over a period of 120 days. This project envisages covering around 200,000 children.

4. Fortified school meals

In collaboration with the Naandi Foundation, GAIN is working on a project to provide fortified school midday meals in all kitchens run by the foundation in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. All wheat flour used in the midday meal will be fortified with iron and folic acid. Kichiri provided will be fortified by point-of-use fortification. Iron fortified biscuits will be used in some areas as an additional measure. The project is expected to cover 400,000 children.

5. Replacing vitamins in milk

GAIN will offer subsidies to milk producers who ensure that the oil soluble vitamins, A and D, removed while processing milk, are reintroduced; it is currently not mandatory to do so in India. GAIN is working with the giant dairy cooperative AMUL to create a successful business model for milk fortification, which should eventually benefit some 1.2 million consumers.

6. Food fortification programs

GAIN will be working to further the cause of food fortification in all three public food aid programs, ICDS, MDM and PDS throughout Rajasthan. The state government, civil society, academia and the private sector are involved in deliberations to devise the most effective strategies. The programs are expected to benefit 30 million consumers per annum over a 3-year period, therefore reaching a total of 90 million people.

7. Fortified rice for school children

A pilot project for fortified rice in Andhra Pradesh is underway as a prelude to a scheme to supply fortified rice for midday meals to some 3 million school-going children.

8. Business initiative for infant and young child feeding

New business models are being developed in order to make available quality complementary food for infants and young children from the poorer sections of the population. GAIN will assist in leveraging over $3 million from development banks. The money will help fund industry to implement appropriate sustainable schemes with real health benefits in reducing malnutrition in young children.