In Madagascar, nutrition is still very widespread, especially among women and children. Less visible and more forgotten than acute malnutrition, chronic malnutrition is related in particular to a risk of delayed growth and cognitive development in children, and after the age of two, it leads to irreversible consequences. It is partially caused by insufficient consumption of nutrition-rich diversified food, due to populations’ difficulties in accessing affordable quality products, and poor knowledge of recommended nutrition practices.
GRET has been working in Madagascar since the 1990s to improve infant feeding. The Food fortification programme for vulnerable populations in Madagascar (PFOA), conducted from 2017 to 2021, aims to strengthen the nutrition status of populations suffering from micronutrient deficiencies. Conducted in partnership with the Nutri’zaza company, a social business fighting against malnutrition in Madagascar, and with other stakeholders in the public and private sectors, civil society and research, it contributed to sustainably improving access to fortified foods and their consumption.
With the support of the European Union, it developed its intervention through three areas of focus, which are presented in this document: the development and marketing of locally manufactured fortified products that are suited to the local context, improvement of populations’ knowledge, attitudes and practices – in particular thanks to the support of the Principality of Monaco via the Programme for innovative nutrition education in poor urban areas in Madagascar (PENIM) – and strengthening of national public policies on food fortification.
