Food manufacturing sector fails to meet fortification rules

Michael Tome-Business Reporter

Players in the food manufacturing sector claim they are failing to meet food fortification requirements set by Government, citing intermittent supply of foreign currency as one of the many bottlenecks. 

This follows recent ultimatum by the Ministry of Health and Child Care that manufacturers of food that require fortification risk having their products banned if they do not comply with the required standards.

In June 2017, the Government made it mandatory for major local food manufacturers to fortify processed staple foods with micronutrients to prevent and control micronutrient deficiency disorders among people especially children.

Micro-nutrient deficiency is prevalent in women and children under five years, especially in rural areas.

Through the Food and Food Standards Regulations, 2016 (SI 120 of 2016) and national food fortification strategy, food vehicles targeted for fortification include sugar (vitamin A), cooking oil (vitamin A and D), maize meal, and wheat flour (A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, folic acid, iron, and zinc). 

However, the efforts to improve food micronutrient content seem to be pegged back by what the companies say was “unsettled economic environment experienced in the country.”

In an interview recently, Dairiboard chief executive officer Anthony Mandiwanza, indicated that much of the fortificants are obtained from outside the country, hence the need for reliable sources of foreign currency to meet the regulatory standards.

The resources should be availed to ensure precision and efficacy of the fortification process.

“High-quality fortificants are mostly imported. This implies the need for foreign exchange, its consistent and timely availability. To ensure delivery on time and consistently. Domestic processes required for food fortification approval need to be industry-friendly and laboratories for sampling and testing services, need to be capacitated for accuracy and efficient services,” said Mr Mandiwanza.

Weighing in on Mr Mandiwanza’s sentiments United Refineries Limited (URL) chief executive Busisa Moyo, indicated that Government should devise a way or even set up companies that sell the fortificants in local currency while receiving foreign currency priority from the central bank.

“Most of these fortificants come from outside the country and companies are still limited in foreign currency. We recommend that we have a company that is given priority in foreign exchange disbursements, so that it avails the fortificants locally, were we just use local currency to buy. Then you can have more compliance.

 “…but if you have to look for foreign currency through a hustle you will end up having problems and you end up saying you are unable to fortify,” said Mr Moyo.

According to the nutrition journal, in addition to mandatory fortification, Government is promoting three bio-fortified food crops which are, bio-fortified orange maize (Vitamin A), Nua 45 beans (Zinc and Iron), and protein maize.

In Zimbabwe, the proportion of children under five years who were stunted in 2018 was 26 percent, representing a decline from 34 percent recorded in 2010.

26 percent stunting rate recorded by Zimbabwe in 2018 however, still falls short of the UNICEF acceptable target of 20 percent.