Paidamoyo Chipunza Senior Reporter
The Grain Marketing Board (GMB) has started fortification of maize-meal in compliance with a recent Government directive, despite efforts by the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) to scuttle the national programme.
GMB joins other huge national companies such as Tongaat Hulett, manufacturers of brown and white sugar, and Parrogate, manufacturers of Zimgold cooking oil, to comply with mandatory food fortification.
Food fortification involves replacing nutrients lost during food processing to increase the food’s nutritional value.
GMB corporate communications manager Mrs Muriel Zemura said the company started selling fortified maize -meal to the public from December 19 this year.
“We are currently fortifying our much loved Silo Roller Meal, Silo Refined Meal and Silo Upfu,” said Mrs Zemura.
She said GMB was not anticipating any price increases anytime soon on the products as a result of fortification.
She said although fortificants were imported, GMB was not seeing that as a hindrance as procurement was done based on availability of foreign currency.
Government made it mandatory for all companies to fortify maize meal, wheat flour, cooking oil and sugar with effect from July 1, 2017 through Statutory Instrument 120 of 2016 of the Food Fortification Laws.
The GMAZ protested against the new law, arguing that it would add extra costs for manufacturers through cost of importing the fortificants and purchasing of relevant equipment, resulting in the extra cost being added to the end product to the disadvantage of consumers.
The manufacturers also argued that consumers could shun the fortified products.
Although GMAZ has since approached the courts seeking to bar Government from implementing the fortification directive, the Ministry of Health and Child Care insisted that there was no going back, citing health implications.
According to the ministry, the country was burdened with serious micronutrient deficiency, which has seen about 72 percent of children between the ages of six and 59 months lacking iron and 31 percent being anaemic.
Among women of child-bearing age (15-49 years), 62 percent were also iron deficient and 26 percent were anaemic.
These deficiencies, according to the ministry, lead to children performing poorly in school due to poor cognitive development and retarded growth.
In pregnant women, these deficiencies could also lead to birth of children with deformities.