The Micronutrient Forum 2023, the 6th Global Conference will bring together diverse international and national delegates across sectors and disciplines to drive compelling and evidence-based agendas that promote nutrition and strengthen population resilience in the face of rising shocks including climate change and man-made conflicts.
At the conference, PATH will exchange learnings from Implementation of rice fortification in India through a session on Harnessing India's rice fortification experience for global impact. The session will highlight critical aspects of policy integration, regulatory frameworks, surveillance, compliance, and the necessity of large-scale social and behavior change initiatives in fortification programs and the significance of forging collaborative and meaningful partnerships across sectors to strengthen these programs. Discussions will also focus on the importance of scaling up fortification efforts, institutionalization within governments, effective implementation, and long-term sustainability activities with emphasis on embracing innovative digital tools to ensure quality assurance and quality control for fortified rice, enhancing the overall quality of fortified food products.
PATH team will share insights with global colleagues through more than 10 poster presentations highlighting the effective implementation and scaling up of rice fortification across states in India, the impact of policy advocacy and the use of rice fortification to counter iron deficiency anemia.
- Panel discussion
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Date: October 16, 2023
Time: 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM CET
Harnessing India's rice fortification experience for global impactIndia has been the only nation in global south that is an exemplar in scaling up rice fortification through social protection programs catering to 800 million people. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) introduced regulations in 2018 to set standards for five staples including rice. In 2019-20, a pilot was launched by Government of India for distributing fortified rice under the Public Distribution System in 15 districts. This is now being scaled up across social protection programs with a mandate to supply only fortified rice by March 2024 and the entire cost borne by GoI ($532.9 M). By collaborative action between multiple stakeholders including the private sector, the government of India has been able to create a tangible system. Innovative practices, rigorous monitoring and quality control mechanisms have been set up to ensure compliance with standards and address challenges that come with rapid scaling. India continues to work on increasing consumer awareness, strengthening supply chains that aim to ensure traceability while enhancing the quality systems for the fortified rice. The scientific evidence and data generated aids in operational feasibility and extends technical knowledge to other nations who wish to adopt rice fortification.
Moderator: Sudhir Maknikar, PATH
Panelists: Palka Sahni, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India; Shri H. Arun Kumar, Civil Supplies, Government of India; Ruchika Chugh Sachdeva, BMGF; Arvind Betigeri, WFP; Neeraj Jain, PATH - Poster presentations ( Shift 1)
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Date: October 16-18, 2023
Poster title: Awareness, perception and participation on micronutrient supplementation through fortified rice among the service providers of National Food Safety Act in Dhubri district of Assam, India
Presenter: Priyakshi Borkotoky, PATHPoster title: Planning prospectively: Use of rice fortification to counter anemia in Maharashtra
Presenter: Nilesh Gangaware, PATH - Poster presentations ( Shift 2)
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Date: October 18-20, 2023
Poster title: Rice fortification for better nutritional outcomes in the tribal state of Nagaland
Presenter: Rohini Saran, PATHPoster title: Creating and sustaining effective leadership through policy advocacy for the scale up of rice fortification – A case study of Jharkhand, India
Presenter: Abhishek Kumar, PATHPoster title: Policy reformation and advocacy effort in scaling up rice fortification in Karnataka, India
Presenter: Satyabrat Padhi, PATHPoster title: Improved nutrition with an effective implementation of large-scale food fortification
Presenter: Arun SM, PATHPoster title: Scaling up of rice fortification in India through technical assistance
Presenter: Danie Shajie, PATHPoster title: Improving quality systems to ensure supply of quality fortified rice in India
Presenter: Danie Shajie, PATHPoster title: Programmatic approaches to managing Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) in India: A case study of Bihar
Presenter: Saurabh Kumar, PATH
Visit https://mnforum2023.org/ for more details on the conference.