Fortifying Local Foods: Why It Matters and How to Get Started

In a world where malnutrition and food insecurity remain pressing issues, the role of food fortification cannot be overlooked. Fortifying local foods—enhancing their nutrient content to meet dietary needs— is one of the most effective ways to combat malnutrition, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Yet, many people still underestimate the power of local food modifications in improving nutrition and health outcomes.

Why Should We Fortify Local Foods?

✅ Bridges Nutritional Gaps – Many staple foods lack essential vitamins and minerals. Fortifying them with nutrients like iron, vitamin A, or zinc can help prevent deficiencies.

✅ Affordable & Sustainable – Unlike imported fortified products, modifying local foods ensures cost-effective, culturally acceptable, and widely available solutions to malnutrition.

✅ Improves Food & Nutrition Security – By enhancing the nutritional quality of common foods, we can make safe and nourishing food more accessible to vulnerable populations.

✅ Supports Innovation in Nutrition – Fortifying local foods creates opportunities for nutritionists, food scientists, and entrepreneurs to develop new, health-focused food products.

How Can We Get Started?

1️⃣ Identify a Commonly Consumed Local Food

• Think about staple foods like cassava, maize, millet, yam, plantain, beans, or even local beverages.
• Which of these can be modified to contain more nutrients?

2️⃣ Determine the Nutrient Gap

• Is the food lacking in iron, protein, vitamin A, or fiber?
• What nutrient will make it more beneficial to the people consuming it?

3️⃣ Research Fortification Methods

• This could be blending with other nutrient-rich ingredients, fermenting, or processing the food in a way that retains or enhances its nutrient content.
• Example: Adding moringa powder to gari or fortifying pap with soybean.

4️⃣ Test and Validate

• Experiment with different fortification techniques and ensure the final product is both nutritious and acceptable to the target audience.

5️⃣ Promote and Scale the Idea

• Once you have a fortified product, advocate for its adoption in homes, schools, and even small-scale food businesses.
• Seek funding, collaboration, or partnerships to bring it to market and make it accessible to those who need it most.

Final Thoughts

Food fortification is not just for big companies. Anyone passionate about solving malnutrition—whether you’re a nutritionist, dietitian, food scientist, or entrepreneur—can come up with innovative ways to modify local foods to be more nutrient-dense.

At TGNC, we encourage creativity and problem-solving in nutrition. If you have an idea for fortifying a local food product, now is the time to develop it! You never know—your idea could be the next big solution to food and nutrition insecurity.

What local food do you think can be fortified to make it healthier?