Fortify Health – Support for expansion (December 2021)

Abstract

Fortify Health pays for and installs the equipment and materials needed to fortify wheat flour (aka atta) with iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12 so that its partner mills can fortify flour at no additional cost. Fortified atta produced by these mills is then sold to consumers in the open market, which we guess leads to benefits through reduced morbidity from iron deficiency and anemia and improved cognitive function for both adults and children. Fortify Health also partners with government to introduce fortified atta into government-run food safety net schemes that reach the most vulnerable groups of the population. We had previously made two incubation grants to Fortify Health in June 2018 and August 2019. In December 2021, we recommended a third incubation grant to Fortify Health of $8.2 million over five years. This grant, which was funded by Open Philanthropy, will allow Fortify Health to (a) expand the number of open market mills it works with over three years and (b) partner with mills producing for residential ashram schools in the state of Maharashtra, through a government safety net program, and explore partnerships with mills producing for the public distribution system (PDS) over five years.