Fortitech Launches New Fortification Partner Programme for Addressing Malnutrition

WIN will work with governmental and non-governmental organizations, ingredient suppliers, local food mills and manufacturers to develop and deliver tailored nutritional solutions that are practical, effective and quality assured.

11/11/08 Alleviating nutritional deficiencies has become a clear priority for all of us working to build a better tomorrow. An estimated two billion people suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies worldwide and Fortitech is taking a proactive stance to dramatically decrease this number.  Aiding in the fight against global malnutrition, Fortitech, the world leader in custom nutrient premixes, is launching the World Initiative for Nutrition (WIN). 

With on-demand support from Fortitech's six facilities worldwide, WIN will work with governmental and non-governmental organizations, ingredient suppliers, local food mills and manufacturers to develop and deliver tailored nutritional solutions that are practical, effective and quality assured.  Spearheading this new initiative as Director of WIN is Françoise Chomé (pictured), who told FoodIngredientsFirst.com that 90% of population growth is in developing countries. Françoise comes to WIN from the GAIN Foundation (Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition), where she was responsible for launching and maintaining multiple food fortification programs, reaching over 280 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

"The message we want to convey through WIN is that nutrition is not the problem, it is the solution,” said Françoise Chomé, director of WIN.  "Food fortification not only impacts the health of the individual, but the health and economic wellbeing of the nations and communities to which they belong.”

WIN leverages the combination of an expert understanding of the business of food fortification with Fortitech's unparalleled formulation expertise, entrepreneurial perspective and global distribution network.  WIN has a deep understanding of food fortification, including adding specific micronutrients to processed staple foods.

"I think one of WIN's greatest strengths is its ability to deliver innovative, cutting-edge solutions that may not be apparent upon first glance of a project,” said Walt Borisenok, president and CEO of Fortitech, Inc.  "We make it our responsibility to look at an application from every angle to determine the optimum mix of nutrients and market forms, along with the best method to integrate them to achieve a successful end product.”

The goal of WIN is not new for Fortitech.  Since the company's founding, Fortitech has been passionately involved with numerous fortification programs addressing micronutrient malnutrition.

"As a responsible corporate citizen, we take the point of view as to what we can do to help reduce the number of people affected by malnutrition and the health conditions that manifest themselves due to inadequate nutrition,” continued Borisenok.  "We have worked on many fortification programs aimed at decreasing the incidence of malnutrition in the past, but to effectively address this, we needed to establish dedicated resources with the sole purpose of fighting malnutrition.  WIN is a solution to this issue.”

The World Initiative for Nutrition is expanding Fortitech's mission to partner with the many groups and organizations that are already dedicated to global nutrition issues.  Previously, the company has provided technical expertise to several national fortification programs in Asia and in Africa, and to NGOs working around the world to formulate customized premixes to fortify foods commonly consumed in these regions.  Fortitech also supplies the World Food Programme with high quality micronutrient premixes for the fortified cereal based food distributed through their programs.