Technical training of over 250 professionals in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Togo on effective food fortification monitoring, strengthening regional capacity for quality assurance and regulatory oversight.
Since June 2022, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), national governments, and National Fortification Alliances (NFAs), has been leading a large-scale food fortification (LSFF) initiative across 15 West African countries. Funded by the Gates Foundation and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), this program aims to combat widespread micronutrient deficiencies through the mandatory fortification of staple foods such as cooking oil, wheat flour, and salt with essential vitamins and minerals.
Key activities include:
The program seeks to evaluate and enhance the technical and institutional capacities of public sector bodies—including Ministries of Health, NFAs, and WAHO—to implement and sustain regional food fortification policies. Special emphasis is placed on governance, intersectoral coordination, policy enforcement, and the integration of LSFF into broader food and nutrition security strategies.
The initiative aims to:
In support of this Food Fortification Program in West Africa, QuImpact have partnered with CRS to support technical capacity reinforcement and provide essential resources. QuImpact offers tailored training sessions to empower local stakeholders with advanced analytical skills and additional technical support.
QuImpact in collaboration with CRS conducted training workshops in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Togo.
These workshops focused on training:
A capacity reinforcement workshop led by CRS Ghana and facilitated by QuImpact took place in Accra, focusing on rapid testing and iCheck for food fortification monitoring. Regulatory bodies such as the FDA, GSA, GPS, and GRA participated in the three-day workshop, which was praised for its engaging and practical approach.
Gifty Aidoo, an FDA analyst with 17 years of experience, called it “involving and facilitated for learning.” Marian Komey, Head of the FDA Food Laboratory with over 20 years of experience, noted it “opened her eyes to new methodologies in food testing.”
Both analysts emphasized the importance of collaboration and continuous industry engagement in fortification efforts. Participants gained hands-on experience using iCheck to test iodine in salt, vitamin A in edible oil, and iron in wheat flour, along with best practices for monitoring. Watch CRS’s Mawuli Sablah discuss the program on Ghana TV.
Burkina Faso is a priority country under the “Large-Scale Food Fortification in West Africa” project. The initial phase revealed a lack of technical capacity, skills, and equipment for monitoring and enforcing compliance with fortified food regulations.
In response, a comprehensive training session was held in Bobo-Dioulasso, focusing on enhancing the skills of regulatory actors in food fortification, with a specific emphasis on micronutrient deficiencies. Participants received hands-on training in using iCheck technology to analyze vitamin A, iodine, and iron rapidly and accurately in fortified products.
The training session employed a dynamic approach, promoting active participation and knowledge sharing. Participants valued the practicality and convenience of iCheck, recognizing its advantages over traditional laboratory testing methods.
“The BioAnalyt training was highly satisfactory, with excellent facilitation, learning tools, and methodology. Participants found it valuable for reinforcing the regulatory control and monitoring system in Burkina Faso.” (Béatrice Joëlle KABORE/ADJATTAN)
“As CRS, we were proud to partner with QuImpact and BioAnalyt on the Accra workshop, equipping regulatory bodies with essential skills in food fortification testing. The program’s success, praised by experts, underscores the power of collaboration in advancing food safety and nutrition.”
Sean Callahan, President and CEO of CRS
“As CRS, we were proud to partner with QuImpact and BioAnalyt on the Accra workshop, equipping regulatory bodies with essential skills in food fortification testing. The program’s success, praised by experts, underscores the power of collaboration in advancing food safety and nutrition.”
Sean Callahan, President and CEO of CRS
Despite experiencing economic growth, Ivory Coast continues to grapple with challenges related to nutrition and food security. CRS’s Food fortification project represents a significant stride in enhancing fortification efforts. This involves bolstering the capacity of public sector institutions including regulatory structures in monitoring and controlling fortified foods with practical application of rapid tests for analyzing micronutrient levels. As technical capacity-building service providers, BioAnalyt and QuImpact have managed to contribute to this by training 56 trainees, focusing on analytical methods and devices. This in turn allows the regulatory authorities to understand the methods of analyzing and enforcing the right fortification methods.
With high rates of deficiencies affecting women and children, Senegal has implemented various fortification initiatives through bodies like the Senegalese Committee for the Fortification of Foods with Micronutrients. Micronutrient deficiencies remain a significant public health concern in Senegal. These deficiencies have severely impacted the population, with 42.6% of women and 56% of children affected by iron deficiency. Zinc deficiency was observed in 58% of women and 42.8% of children, while 17% of children under five and 14.9% of women did not receive adequate vitamin A.
To address this issue, the Senegalese government established the Senegalese Committee for Micronutrient Food Fortification (COSFAM) in 2006. Despite notable progress across West Africa—and especially in Senegal, one of the pioneering countries in food fortification—important gaps remained in ensuring sustainable and high-quality fortification through a food systems-based approach.
As part of its LSFF project, CRS, in collaboration with QuImpact, supported the national food fortification program by strengthening and improving food fortification control and regulatory systems in Senegal. QuImpact provided technical capacity-building services, training stakeholders responsible for enforcing fortification standards in analytical methods and tools, including the practical use of rapid tests to assess iodine, iron, and vitamin A levels in fortified foods.
The training workshop brought together over 60 participants from laboratories and regulatory agencies, primarily from the Division of Consumer Protection and Safety (DCSC). Participants also included members of the Senegalese Food Fortification Committee involved in standard enforcement.
In addition, the workshop welcomed participants from Guinea, who were officials from agencies responsible for the control of fortified foods. They benefitted from the experience-sharing platform and are now part of a core trainer pool to support future capacity-building initiatives in Guinea.
Micronutrient deficiencies remain a serious public health challenge in Togo, with over 70% of children under five and nearly half of women of reproductive age suffering from anemia. Despite progress, deficiencies in iodine and vitamin A persist due to inadequate food fortification and limited regulatory enforcement.
To address these issues, CRS, in collaboration with the Togo National Food Fortification Committee (CNFA), organized a regional workshop to strengthen national regulatory systems and promote the practical use of rapid testing tools for fortified foods. The workshop brought together 65 participants from five West African countries (Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger), including representatives from health ministries, regulatory authorities, food producers, and customs. QuImpact, led practical trainings on the use of iCheck devices (Chroma 3, Iron, and Iodine) developed by BioAnalyt. QuImpact’s sessions focused on quality assurance, analytical procedures, and real-time nutrient testing, equipping participants with hands-on skills to assess vitamin A, iron, and iodine levels in fortified foods. Their scope also included introducing digital solutions for data collection and monitoring.
The workshop concluded with recommendations to strengthen certification systems, improve customs collaboration, support producers with quality systems, and explore regional models for premix regulation and tax exemption.
QuImpact’s partnership with CRS in the LSFF project in West Africa marks a significant stride in combating nutrition deficiencies. By strengthening regulatory oversight and fostering public-private collaborations, these initiatives aim to improve the quality and reach of fortified foods, particularly benefiting vulnerable groups like women and children. This collaborative effort exemplifies the potential for impactful change through concerted action and innovation in global health. Stay tuned for more updates and follow our journey as we continue to collaborate and contribute our bit to this cause. If you would like to know about the technology we work with, feel free to contact us here.
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