Survey shows Khalifa Foundation-backed food fortification initiative in Afghanistan a success story

KABUL: A recent survey conducted in Afghanistan in 2013 proved that the national food fortification programme funded through the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation and other partners, and executed by the Swiss Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), was successful in reducing the incidence of malnutrition among preschool-age children and women of reproductive age, and was particularly effective in preventing iodine deficiency disorders and brain damage through iodisation of edible salt. Afghanistan's Minister of Health, Soraya Dalil, recently said her country was very grateful to the United Arab Emirates and its highly respected leadership for this great success achieved through the programme. Dalil's announcement hailed the role of the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation in supporting nutrition and food fortification in the country and its contribution to the larger "Health for All aim as stated in our National Health and Nutrition Policy and Strategy 2012 – 2013." In a written document, of which WAM received a copy, Dalil said that the nutrition survey conducted recently with the assistance of the UNICEF, showed that household access to iodised salt was estimated at 73.6 percent, a proportion that represents a great progress towards the achievement of the universal salt iodisation norm defined as a minimum of 80 to 90 percent of households having access to adequately iodised salt. The minister added that "If continued, this pace of progress will place Afghanistan on the list of iodine deficiency free countries that will have defeated the scourge of the lethal effects of iodine deficiency disorders and brain damage." The Minister of Health acknowledged that this achievement could not have been possible without the funding and support of the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation . As part of the strategy adopted by the project, being conducted through partnership between GAIN and the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation in collaboration with Afghanistan's Ministry of Health, it is expected that 18 million Afghans will benefit by the end of 2015 from the services provided by the projects including salt iodization, fortification of wheat flour with iron, folic acid and vitamin B12; vitaminisation of edible oil and ghee with vitamin A and D, and the local production of multi nutrient powder (MNP) that will improve the micronutrient and nutritional status of children between the age of 6 to 24 months. The national food fortification programme is a priority for the government of Afghanistan. The support extended by the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation to this programme was acknowledged by the Minister of Health and representatives of nine other ministries in a meeting of all the salt producers, the government and other parties, that was organised by GAIN in Kabul in December last year. The minister reiterated the success of this programme, particularly with regards to salt iodization, in not only increasing household access to iodised salt to 73.6 percent but also in improving quality as 44.6 percent of all salt samples analysed were found adequately iodised in 2013, compared to only 28.5 percent in 2004. The minister indicated that Afghanistan deserves to celebrate this success of the iodisation programme as more than 70 percent of Afghan families are consuming iodised salt that will protect preschool children and women of reproductive age from brain damage in pregnancy, congenital anomalies in newborns, perinatal mortality, endemic mental retardation and loss of productivity and economic development at the national level. The national nutrition survey had covered about 22,000 households distributed across all 34 provinces of the country, and was aimed at reviewing the current nutritional situation, establishing the trends and looking for associated factors that influence the nutritional status of the population in Afghanistan. The survey collected information about household food security, infant and young child feeding and care practices, weight and height to assess malnutrition and laboratory analysis of biologic samples to determine vitamin and mineral deficiencies in addition to other health and environmental factors such as infection diseases, access to health care services, drinking water, hygiene and sanitation. The minister indicated that the salt iodisation programme was being implemented, thanks to the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation 's support, through mobilisation and organisation of salt producers and building their managerial capacity and technical skills to produce iodised salt of high quality. and Also, a revolving fund has been established to help procure potassium iodate, instead of the existing arrangement dependent upon unsustainable free donations which had failed to produce optimum results in the past. The document also pointed to the contribution of the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation in combating the disastrous effects of iodine deficiency disorders. Nutrition experts affirm that deficiency of iodine in the diet during pregnancy is a major cause of brain damage that can lead to irreversible mental retardation if not addressed properly and in time. They also indicate that iodine deficiency during pregnancy is a major cause of still births, abortion, perinatal mortality and congenital anomalies in newborns. Nutrition experts report that iodine is a natural element available in soil and water and is normally found in foods that come from plant or animal sources. However, over the years, iodine has been leached out by soil erosion due to floods, overgrazing by livestock, loss of vegetation, etc., resulting in a continued and increasing loss of iodine from the soil. Foods grown locally and animals grazing in those areas lack iodine. As a result, the local diet contains less iodine and the entire population is exposed to iodine deficiency. In this context, the only possibility to improve the iodine intake is to have an external source of iodine. During the last few decades, the UNICEF, governments, non-governmental organisations and the international community have adopted salt iodisation as the most effective, practical and affordable strategy to control iodine deficiency disorders. These stakeholders came together and assigned the universal salt iodisation (USI) target of 80 to 90 percent of household access to adequate iodised salt as a guarantee to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders and its terrifying effects on brain development and the socio-economic growth of a country. Afghanistan is among the countries that have endorsed the USI goal as a national priority. - Emirates News Agency, WAM –http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates-international/1395272467154.html