KHPT organized a National Level Learning and Sharing Workshop titled “Fortifying Futures: Learnings from Large Scale Staple Food Fortification,” on March 6 in New Delhi, supported by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). Featuring keynote addresses, panel discussions, and Q&A sessions, the workshop provided a platform for collaboration and best practice sharing. Attendees included government officials, development partners, and industry stakeholders. Ms. Inoshi Sharma, Executive Director of FSSAI, Ms. Bhuvaneswari Balasubramanian, India Country Director at GAIN, and Mr. Mohan HL, CEO, KHPT, were Chief Guests at the event.

The workshop focused on two main themes: Government Advocacy and Industry Engagement. Government Advocacy emphasized engaging state food safety authorities and integrating fortification into both open markets and government programmes. Industry Engagement aimed to discuss capacity-building initiatives and collaboration with stakeholders in the edible oil, milk, and wheat flour sectors.

Government representatives shared their department’s experience in implementing food fortification and the challenges they faced in implementing this regulation. There were discussions around how to raise awareness among consumers about the consumption of fortified foods. It was suggested that the government should consider introducing popular figures, such as celebrities, to advertise the benefits of fortified foods and emphasize the importance of their consumption. It was also proposed that since soya is an important source of protein, fortified wheat flour could be enriched with protein by incorporating a calculated amount of soya flour, without altering the texture and taste.

The workshop also provided an opportunity to celebrate milestones achieved after the implementation of the project, including reaching a significant number of industries for capacity building in fortification, and the introduction of fortified wheat flour into the Public Distribution Systems of Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Kerala, enhancing accessibility for a wider population.