Fortification of Rice & Flour: Helping to Solve the Problem of Micronutrient Deficiencies

 Sponsored by
Agriculture and Rural Development, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network
and the HDNHE Nutrition Team

Thursday, March 3, 2011
12:30 - 2:00PM
(Box lunches will be available)

I4-060
1850 I Street, N.W. Washington, DC

Presenter
Professor Glen Maberly
Director of the Centre for Health Innovation and Partnership
Sydney West Area Health Service, Australia
and
Scott J Montgomery
Director and Industry Liason, Flour Fortification Initiative

Discussant
Meera Shekar 
Lead Health and Nutrition Specialist, HDNHE

Chair
Juergen Voegele
Sector Director, ARD

With rising food prices and climate change, an increasing proportion of the world’s population is likely to suffer deficiencies of essential vitamins and minerals, posing threats to human health and the economic growth of many countries. Pregnant women and young children (under 2 years) are particularly vulnerable to micronutrient malnutrition. Rice fortification holds promise as part of the solution to micronutrient deficiencies now that new technologies to fortify rice have been developed. Professor Maberly will discuss the improved fortification methods, the efficacy and effectiveness of fortified rice in addressing iron deficiency anemia, and the cost of fortification, as well as several country case studies. Another way to provide micronutrients to populations is through the fortification of wheat flour. The Flour Fortification Initiative (FFI) is a network of individuals and organizations working to make flour fortification standard practice globally. Scott Montgomery will discuss the potential health and nutrition benefits of flour fortification as well as the work of the FFI. 

Presentations

• Rice Fortification: A Key Part of the Solution to Micronutrient Deficiences (PDF 5.18MB)
  Prof. Glen Maberly
• Frequently Asked Questions (PDF 797kb)

About the Speakers
Professor Maberly is the Director of the Centre for Health Innovation and Partnership (CHIP) at Sydney West Area Health Service and he manages the Global Health Institute’s (GHI) work in the Pacific. Prior to working with CHIP and GHI, Professor Maberly was on the faculty at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, Georgia (1991-97) where he founded the Department of Global Health. He was also at the core of founding the Flour Fortification Initiative (FFI), a public/private partnership that operates as a global network supporting improved micronutrient status through flour fortification. At the beginning of his career, Professor Maberly worked as an endocrinologist and conducted significant research into iodine deficiencies in Malaysia, China and Indonesia.

Scott Montgomery is the Director and Industry Liaison for the Flour Fortification Initiative. He joined Cargill, Incorporated after completing his degree in Milling Science and Management from Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. In 1996, Scott was named Vice President, Global Wheat Flour Milling Operations, which included flour mills in the United States, South America and India and in 1999, he was named Vice President, Worldwide Dry Milling Operations. He retired from Cargill in June 2010 as Vice President, Global Procurement Leader. In August 2010 Scott starting working with the Flour Fortification Initiative (FFI) as the Industry Liaison and in January 2011 Scott was appointed as the interim Director of FFI.

For More Information:  arafamat@worldbank.org