Food fortification is the addition of vitamins and minerals to food or condiments to increase the nutritional value of the food supply. This can be achieved at large scale via fortification of staple foods or condiments, or targeted to specific populations such as pregnant women and young children, for example via products designed for “home-fortification” of home-prepared foods at the time of consumption. Researchers of the Institute for Global Nutrition continue to strengthen the evidence on the impact of fortified foods.
CoMIT
The Condiment Micronutrient Innovation Trial (CoMIT) project is testing the impact of fortified bouillon use, compared to that of control bouillon, on micronutrient status among women and young children in northern Ghana in a randomized, controlled trial.
Trials of Micronutrient Fortified Salt
Multiple micronutrient fortified salt trials were conducted among women in Ethiopia and India to determine the impact of adding additional micronutrients to iodized salt.
Home Fortification
IGN researchers have conducted numerous evaluations of home fortification of complementary foods for children 6-24 months of age, including studies of micronutrient powders and small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS).