Bolivia Vegetable Oil, Wheat Flour and Milk Fortification Project

Project Overview

In July 2007, GAIN awarded US$ 2.63 million to Bolivia’s Ministry of Health and Sports, in partnership with the National Council for Food and Nutrition, to fortify vegetable oil, wheat flour and milk. The government fortifies vegetable oil with vitamin A, wheat flour with iron, folic acid (B9), thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2, niacin (B3) and cobalamin (B12) and milk with iron, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D3 and vitamin E. GAIN funding supported the purchase of fortification equipment and supplies, the training of personnel on quality assurance, the implementation of regulary monitoring and consumer education campaigns and the development of fortification legislation. Other local partners included CONAN (Consejo Nacional de Alimentación y Nutrición).

Goal

The project was a key part of the Government’s Zero Malnutrition Program, aiming at reducing the incidence of malnutrition in children under the age of 5 and women of reproductive age, the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia and vitamin A deficiency of these at-risk groups, and neural tube defect rates.

Impact

At full scale, the project aimed to reach 81 percent of Bolivia’s population with fortified wheat and vegetable oil and 68 percent of the population with fortified milk.

Achievements

Key project achievements include: training of food control inspectors in quality assurance, adoptation of fortification standards, and development of a protocol for national registry of birth defects in six primary maternity hospitals.

Duration

The project began in July 2007 and closed in August 2009.