About GAIN
At GAIN we believe that everyone in the world should have access to nutritious, safe, and affordable food.
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Working with governments, businesses and civil society, we aim to transform food systems so that they deliver healthier diets for all people, especially the most vulnerable.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, GAIN has offices in countries with high levels of malnutrition: Bangladesh, Benin, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. To support work in those countries, we have representative offices in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
At GAIN, we believe that everyone in the world should have access to nutritious, safe, and affordable food. Today, one in three people - drawn from nearly every country on the planet - are unable to consume enough nutritious food. We work to develop and deliver solutions to this daily challenge.
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people accessed fortified food through GAIN
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of the entire population of the world
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citations to GAIN’s knowledge products
By understanding that there is no "one-size-fits-all" way of dealing with this problem, we develop alliances and build tailored programmes using a variety of models and approaches. We work through national, regional, and global alliances that provide technical, financial and policy support to a wide range of public and private organisations, focusing attention on where people get their food from – markets. As a result, we give priority to finding ways to change and improve how businesses and governments shape food systems for improved nutrition.
What matters most for us is impact. Our purpose is to improve the consumption of nutritious and safe foods for all. We focus on children, adolescents, and women because we know that working with these groups is crucial to transforming attitudes about food and hence life chances and livelihoods. We are supported by over 30 donors and work closely with international organisations and United Nations agencies.
We aim to make nutritious and safe foods accessible to everyone, especially the most vulnerable, to help end hunger and attain healthy diets for all, in ways that are good for the environment.
Our history
Click the dates to discover the milestones of our organization
GAIN was launched
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) - a Swiss-based foundation - was launched at the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Working with governments, businesses and civil society, we aim to transform food systems so that they deliver more nutritious foods for all people, especially the most vulnerable.
Investing in the future: a united call to action on vitamin and mineral deficiencies
In partnership with the Flour Fortification Initiative, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, UNICEF and the Micronutrient Initiative, we contributed to the publication of the 2009 report "Investing in the Future: A united call to action on vitamin and mineral deficiencies".
The report called on governments and other partners to increase investments in life-saving vitamins and minerals and provides concrete recommendations to improve the delivery of supplements and fortified food to women and children around the world.
Investing in the future: a united call to action on vitamin and mineral deficiencies
A child in Indonesia
GPF Launch
The GAIN Premix Facility (GPF) was launched to tackle the challenges that many companies and organizations involved in food fortification face in accessing reliable sources of quality, affordable micronutrient premix, a commercially prepared blend of vitamins and minerals used to fortify staple foods. An estimated 60 million consumers are being provided with higher quality nutrition through GPF. GAIN received funding from the Khalifa Bin Zayed al Nahyan Foundation in the United Arab Emirates to deliver complementary nutrition interventions that will benefit more than 15 million people in Afghanistan
AIM Launch
At the 2009 GAIN Business Alliance Global Forum in the Netherlands, the Amsterdam Initiative on Malnutrition (AIM) is launched by GAIN, the Government of the Netherlands, Unilever, DSM, AkzoNobel and Wageningen University. The initiative aims to eliminate malnutrition for 100 million people in Africa by 2015 and will grow through public private partnerships.
GAIN's new legal status
The Swiss government granted a special legal status to GAIN as an international organization under the Swiss Federal Act on Privileges, Immunities, Facilities and Financial Aid. The agreement was co-signed in Bern on behalf of the Federal Council of Switzerland by Ambassador Valentin Zellweger, Director of the International Law Department of the Swiss Foreign Affairs Ministry, and by GAIN’s Executive Director Marc Van Ameringen.
GAIN's Marketplace for Nutritious Foods
Initiated an Agriculture and Nutrition Program, which began work on the Marketplace for Nutritious Foods in Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania. The "Marketplace" aimed to improve the nutritional quality, affordability, and variety of food in the diets of the malnourished. It does this by investing in local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with innovative ideas that, once realized, will improve the way food is grown, stored, processed, and consumed.
One of the Marketplace business
Crates of tomatoes in Nigeria
Assessing one of the Marketplace projects in Africa
New Offices
Opened new offices in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia and Singapore.
Ten years: half a billion lives changed
GAIN’s goal is to improve the lives of vulnerable populations around the world through access to affordable, better quality, nutritious foods.
We aim to reach one billion people. After ten years, our programs are already reaching more than 530 million including 250 million women and children and demonstrating public health impact:
- 30% reduction in anemia among women of child bearing age in sentinel sites in China
- 30% reduction in neural tube defects in new borns in South Africa
- 14% reduction in micronutrient deficiencies in young children in Kenya
We work to reduce malnutrition by mobilising public private partnerships that implement innovative and sustainable market-based solutions at scale.
Launch of ATNI
In partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust, GAIN launched the Access to Nutrition Index (ATNI), a new global initiative that evaluates food and beverage manufacturers on their policies, practices and performance related to obesity and undernutrition.
GPF success
Five years after the start of the GAIN Premix facility it reached more than 150 million people with quality premix for fortification of staple foods.
Twenty blenders, 40 micronutrient suppliers and five micronutrient powder producers supplied more than USD47 million in premix to 41 countries.
Launch of FACT
Launch of the first Fortification Assessment Coverage Toolkit (FACT) in Senegal in order to understand better how large scale food fortification programs impact public health.
Fortification Assessment Coverage Toolkit (FACT) Survey in Senegal
GAIN Nordic Partnership
Established in 2014 by the five founding partners: Arla Foods Ingredients, Tetra Pak, Danchurch Aid, the Confederation of Danish Industry and GAIN. It is a multi-sector platform with an ambition to facilitate scalable and inclusive business models that enhance the nutritional value of food in developing countries. The platform brings together Nordic companies, civil society, academia and the public sector in a forum for collaboration, action and knowledge sharing.
GAIN Better Dairy event together with WFP
Charlotte Pedersen, Head of GAIN Nordic, speaking at an event
Global Summit on Food Fortification
Together with The Government of Tanzania and other development partners (African Union, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement, UNICEF, USAID and the World Food Programme) convened the first Global Summit on Food Fortification in September 2015. The three day event, part of international efforts to reinvigorate interest, awareness and investment in food fortification, was attended by 30 governments from countries suffering the highest levels of micronutrient malnutrition. It offered the opportunity to assess lessons learned and to forge a shared strategy to highlight the role of food fortification in food security and within the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Summit culminated in the Arusha Statement on Food Fortification.
Marc Van Ameringen speaking at the Food Fortification Summit in 2015
Jay Naidoo, Chairman of the GAIN Board of Directors, speaking at the Summit
The POSHAN project
Started two new maternal, infant and young child nutrition projects in India, addressing both chronic and acute malnutrition. Firstly, in collaboration with the World Bank and the Karnataka Health Promotion Trust, we support women groups producing nutritious supplementary foods for 40,000 children in the State of Karnataka.
With the second project, together with UNICEF and ACF, we supported the Rajasthan Nutrition and Health Mission in a large-scale pilot of community-based treatment of 9,000 severely acutely malnourished children in 13 districts in the State of Rajasthan.
Kids enrolled in the POSHAN project
One of the families enrolled in the POSHAN project
The UNICEF-GAIN Partnership Project
Successfully closed the Gates-funded GAIN-UNICEF Universal Salt Iodization project in December 2015 which helped protect an additional 466 million people against iodine deficiency, including 113 million children.
Universal Salt Iodization, which has been implemented around the world, helped decrease the number of countries classified as iodine deficient from 54 in 2003 to 25 in 2015.
Woman packing salt in a market
Man holding salt in his hands
Lawrence Haddad
Lawrence Haddad appointed new Executive Director of GAIN.
Lawrence Haddad chosen as the new Executive Director for GAIN
The fortification Technical Advisory Group (TAG)
Following the first ever global summit on food fortification in Tanzania in September 2015, we led over 20 partners as part of a fortification Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to consolidate the event's ground-breaking findings and map a way forward for partners.
A report published on the Future Fortified summit drew attention to the potential of food fortification to cost effectively reach billions of people with essential micronutrients. It emphasized the need for investment, better standards and regulation, and improved evidence gathering to make programs even more effective.
GAIN turns 15!
In 2017 GAIN celebrated its 15th Anniversary.
Panel discussion at GAIN 15 anniversary
Cakes at GAIN 15 Anniversary
Lawrence Haddad speaking at GAIN 15 Anniversary
Launch of GAIN New strategy
During the reporting period (1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017), the GAIN Board conducted a wide-ranging consultation and adopted a new five-year strategy (2017–2022). This strategy confirmed GAIN’s purpose to advance nutrition outcomes by improving the consumption of nutritious and safe food for all people, especially those most vulnerable to malnutrition. In particular, we aimed to improve the consumption of safe and nutritious foods for – at a minimum – one billion people over the next five years and target major improvements to the food system, delivering more diverse and healthier diets for vulnerable citizens in countries where we work.
Published the FACT Manual and practical tools and templates
Published the FACT Manual and tools, which enables provides step-by-step guidance on how to decide, design, and conduct a FACT survey. Information generated by a FACT survey can be used by decision makers to improve fortification programmes by documenting successes and identifying gaps
Launch of Making Markets Work (MMW)
Making Markets Work (MMW) supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands; the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany (BMZ); Irish Aid; the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; the International Development Research Center (Canada); and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) developed Nutrition Connect (a resource hub for what works for nutrition in the public-private space, www.nutritionconnect.org) and a Food Systems Dashboard: a new tool to bring together public and private data on different components of the food system to assess where it needs most attention to strengthen nutrition outcomes.
Executive Course - Together for Nutrition
Developed the first ever Executive Course, in partnership with Unilever, on public-private engagement in nutrition, which was positively assessed by its 25 participants from public and private sectors globally.
The participants of the Executive Course
The GAIN Paper Series
Launched a new series of papers to disseminate the learning from GAIN’s programmes to diverse stakeholders in tailored formats.
The launch of the Commercialisation of biofortified crops (CBC)
GAIN launched a major new partnership with HarvestPlus, to work to expand the reach of their nutritious varieties of staple crops through commercialisation.
GAIN and HarvestPlus celebrate new partnerships
GAIN and HarvestPlus announce a new partnership
New partnerships
Signed several new MOUs in the year, including with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) (to link our SME work better with smallholder farmers); Euromonitor (to access retail sales data); the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) (on our urban and SME programmes), and the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) (workforce).
GAIN invited to be a core partner of two important influencing initiatives, the Food Systems Dialogues, and the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU).
Lawrence Haddad signs a MoU with Agnes Kalibata
EatSafe launched
EatSafe: Evidence and Action Towards Safe, Nutritious Food, is a USAID-funded, five-year multi-country programme aiming to enable lasting improvements in the safety of nutritious foods in traditional markets by focusing on consumer demand. EatSafe is unique in its design, highlighting the intersection of nutrition, health, and food safety and how this intersection affects local economies, food systems, and consumer behaviour
Keeping Food Markets Working and Response to the pandemic
As a response to COVID-19, in 2020 and 2021, GAIN provided $16m to maintain food supplies in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Rwanda, Egypt, Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, and Pakistan. We provided emergency financial support to over 160 food SMEs providing an additional 50 million servings of nutritious foods (fruits, vegetables, animal-source foods (ASFs), biofortified and fortified foods, etc.). We supported 38,402 key food workers (54% female) via vouchers or take-home family food rations.
a factory worker with a mask pouring beans into a tray
The UN Food Systems Summit
Active influencing and participation in the UN Food Systems Summit and The Nutrition for Growth summit. GAIN enhanced her reputation during the Summit processes going by the different quotes and comments from leading organizations and international thought leaders.
GAIN led and supported two major new initiatives: the Act4FoodAct4Change and the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge.
Maureen Muketha speaking live at UNFSS
Lawrence Haddad speaking at UNFSS
Lancet Adolescent Nutrition Series
Continued our contribution to a Lancet series on adolescent health which was launched at the Nutrition for Growth Summit in December 2021.
Welcome to 20!
GAIN Turns 20!
On the 9th May 2002, GAIN was founded with the aim of tackling human suffering caused by malnutrition.
Over the past 20 years, we have been working with governments, businesses and civil society to transform food systems so that they deliver more nutritious foods for all people, especially the most vulnerable.
The official GAIN20 logo
Benin - GAIN opens an office in the country to strengthen the fight against malnutrition
On Thursday 14 September 2023, GAIN signed a memorandum of understanding with Benin's Ministry of Agriculture to implement its activities.
GAIN is thus inaugurating its official presence in the country.
Benin - GAIN opens an office in the country to strengthen the fight against malnutrition
Françoise Sayi, Country Director GAIN Benin (left) together with the Benin's Ministry of Agriculture (left)
October 2023 – GAIN Office Opens in Kigali, Rwanda
In October 2023, GAIN proudly expanded its presence in Africa by opening a new office in Kigali, Rwanda. This milestone strengthens our commitment to improving nutrition and food systems in the region, fostering closer partnerships with local and regional stakeholders.
2023 – GAIN Office Opens in Uganda
In 2023, GAIN expanded its footprint in East Africa with the opening of a new office in Uganda. The office enhances our ability to work hand-in-hand with partners to advance nutrition outcomes and build more resilient food systems across the country
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Reaching Lower-Income Consumers with Nutritious Foods - Cross-Subsidisation and Segmenting by Quality
In a cross-subsidisation model, one product is sold with a larger margin, with the excess profit used to subsidise another product sold at a smaller margin (e.g., by covering all or most company fixed costs with the higher-margin channel). BMR’s systematic review found several examples of companies using this strategy with the same product sold in different forms or settings to different groups of consumers.
Africa Can Feed the World
Delegates numbering more than 5,000 and representing over 90 countries converged to explore strategies to harness Africa's vast potential in expediting the development of regional, national and sub national food systems that would not only benefit the continent but also the entire world.
Africa Climate Week: An Inflection Point for Sustainable Development, Food Systems, and Nutrition
[We, the African Heads of State and Government, commit to] redoubling our efforts to boost agricultural yields through sustainable agricultural practices, to enhance food security while minimizing negative environmental impacts. But perhaps there's more cause for optimism here than first meets the eye.
Benin - GAIN opens an office in the country to strengthen the fight against malnutrition
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), a Swiss foundation launched by the United Nations, which has been working to reduce human suffering caused by malnutrition since 2002, will sign a memorandum of understanding with Benin's Ministry of Agriculture on Thursday 14 September 2023 to implement its activities. GAIN is thus inaugurating its official presence in the country.EatSafe
Evidence and Action Towards Safe, Nutritious Food
Feed The Future's EatSafe: Evidence and Action Towards Safe, Nutritious Food is a USAID-funded, five-year programme aiming to enable lasting improvements in the safety of nutritious foods in traditional markets by focusing on behavior change.
EatSafe’s objectives
Consolidate and generate knowledge on food safety behaviors and risks
Develop and test food safety interventions for consumers and vendors
Generate evidence of intervention effectiveness and its impact on food safety behaviors
EatSafe’s formative research aimed to aggregate the existing evidence on the interplay between foodborne disease (FBD), traditional markets, and behavior change in LMICs.
EatSafe generated knowledge across topics including the relationship between food safety, nutrition, and health; consumers’ and vendors’ perspectives on food safety; and the importance of traditional markets to food security.
EatSafe developed localised, market-based interventions to improve knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) related to food safety and the enabling environment in the countries where EatSafe operates.
Interventions are assessed to understand their impact on consumers' and vendors' knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) related to food safety. They are also tested for effectiveness, feasibility, and sustainability in traditional market settings.
In-country implementation
UNLOCKING TRADITIONAL MARKETS
EatSafe conducts rapid market assessments to understand consumer characteristics, vendor practices, gender dynamics, commodity supply, food safety risks, and the enabling environment.
EVIDENCE-BASED FOOD SAFETY INTERVENTIONS
Drawing from the market assessments, EatSafe co-designs interventions with key stakeholders. They are tested for effectiveness, feasibility, and sustainability, with a focus on behavior change among market actors.
EatSafe’s Resources
To find our more about EatSafe's work, browse our materials below. For additional information, please contact [email protected].
Traditional markets provide access to highly nutritious but perishable foods. Foodborne illness can jeopardize it all.
Top Resources
Check out EatSafe's most-read resources.
EatSafe Reports & Publications
Dive deep into EatSafe's comprehensive collection of reports and insightful publications. Crafted by experts in nutrition, food safety, and public health, each document offers valuable insights into the core areas of the program. EatSafe's portfolio of work includes groundbreaking research, insightful analyses, and innovative interventions for food safety in traditional markets.
EatSafe Blogs
Discover EatSafe's latest explore thought-provoking articles, stories, and reflections in EatSafe's blogs. Penned by EatSafe staff and guest contributors, these pieces provide a deeper dive into the nuances of the EatSafe program. It's more than just updates—it's a space for reflection, learning, and dialogue about the broader context in which our program operates.
EatSafe News
Stay updated with the latest developments and happenings around the EatSafe program. The news section offers a curated blend of announcements, features, and important updates—offering information on what's new and noteworthy.
EatSafe on Agrilinks
Check out EatSafe's Activity Page on Agrilinks for even more updates, resources and blogs. Agrilinks is a knowledge sharing hub and is part of the U.S. Government's Feed the Future initiative.
More info
For more information, please contact us here.
Richard Pluke
Lead, Food Safety, and Chief of Party, EatSafe
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Core Values
Our core values define what is important to us and guide the way we conduct business.
Our core values define what is important to us and guide the way we conduct business.
We are committed to promoting and maintaining best practices in our everyday operations and we expect the highest standards of conduct from all staff, whether based at the headquarters, in representative offices or in country offices.
We strive to uphold these values at all times.
Explore our values
PASSION
We are committed to achieving change for the most vulnerable
We have high expectations of ourselves. We hold ourselves and each other to account.
I work in the GAIN Mozambique office and for me, passion is the driving force behind my work. It drives me to work with enthusiasm and excel as a team player. It guarantees that I accomplish my goals and provides the vigour I need to thrive. Without it, achieving our goals would be impossible and thriving would be a mere dream.
VOICE
We embrace equity, diversity and inclusion
We listen to and learn from each other. We are respectful and appreciative. We have a climate of openness and trust.
I work in one of GAIN’s global offices, and for me, voice allows us to express our ideas, concerns, and perspectives with authenticity and without fear. We respect and value our differences, creating meaningful relationships across cultures and working together to achieve our collective goals. By cultivating an inclusive and open culture in which all voices are valued, we ensure that every individual feels a sense of belonging and is empowered to achieve their full potential.
INNOVATION
We seek new solutions to problems
We embrace healthy risk-taking. We are willing to think and act "outside the box". We invest in learning. We are ambitious, open and curious.
I work in one of GAIN’s global offices supporting colleagues across the world to bring environmental sustainability into GAIN’s work. For me, innovation is key to delivering our mission. We can’t do this without thinking beyond status quo of our current food system to find new solutions which drive the transformation we need for both people and planet. Innovation is about our openness to welcome new ideas and ways of doing things across GAIN and our commitment to keep learning about what we can be doing better.
INTEGRITY
We are honest and transparent
We deliver on our promises. We have consistently high standards of conduct. We aim to respect the environment and planetary boundaries.
I work in GAIN Ethiopia Office and for me, integrity means standing up for what's right and sticking to my principles of honesty, fairness, and accountability even if no one will notice or there is no recognition to be received, regardless of the difficult circumstances. Integrity is the powerful glue that ties any team together, from the workplace to the home. I expect absolute integrity from myself and my co-workers.
TEAMWORK
We work together as ONE GAIN
We care about each other. We are good allies. We invest in relationships.
I work in the GAIN Kenya office, and for me, teamwork fosters a culture of collaboration and cooperation with diverse teams, where every member can thrive and contribute to the organizational goals. It also allows us to distribute workload and responsibilities leading to efficiency in task execution, a supportive and motivating work environment, and a fulfilling work-life balance.
HUMILITY
We celebrate success but learn from our mistakes
We recognise our limitations as well as our strengths. We aim to listen to and serve our stakeholders.
I work in the GAIN Nigeria office, and for me, humility implies being aware of your own shortcomings, strengths, and limitations. It is also the ability to recognize and acknowledge the strengths of others and to be open to learning and adapting from your colleagues. Humility is the capacity to be a good listener and ensure others feel heard and understood around you. It is the ultimate conviction that we are all part of the solution.
Complaint
Our values and associated behaviours are set out in our Code of Conduct. We expect our staff to abide by these at all times.
If you have a complaint about a member of GAIN staff whose behaviour you consider to be in breach of our Code of Conduct, please contact us at the following email address: [email protected] or fill in the form below.
Concerns can also be raised by using our 24/7 Safecall service. All reports are treated in complete confidence by an independent team. Your name will not be disclosed without your consent, and you can choose to remain anonymous if you wish.
We have a zero tolerance policy where there is evidence of fraud, a conflict of interest, sexual misconduct, bullying, or safeguarding breaches involving a vulnerable person.
Your complaint will be taken seriously and investigated where relevant. We have and will take disciplinary action where appropriate.
The United States Announces $6Million to Nutritious Foods Financing Facility (N3F)
In partnership with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and Incofin Investment Management, the USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman and Assistant to the Administrator for the Bureau for Resilience and Food Security Dina Esposito announced the $6 million investment, in the Nutritious Foods Financing Facility (N3F).
Unmasking Hidden Hunger - How School Feeding Programmes Change Lives
Imagine a classroom filled with eager young minds, ready to embrace the world's opportunities. Now, picture these same children and adolescents, their potential stifled not by lack of ambition, but by an invisible adversary – hidden hunger.