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Manila declaration on food fortification

International Life Sciences Institute Regional
Conference on Food Fortification:
Science, Technology, and Policy
3-5 December 1996

We, the participants of the Regional Conference on Food Fortification
Recognizing that:

» Micronutrient malnutrition, especially of iodine, vitamin A, and iron, is highly prevalent in much of Asia;

» Micronutrient malnutrition is incompatible with the good health and well-being of all individuals, especially women and young children, and with the social and economic development of nations;

» Micronutrient malnutrition adversely affects learning and productivity of the individual and consequently the social and economic activity of nations;

» The control of these micronutrient deficiencies through food fortification offers an opportunity to improve the quality of lives at low cost in a reasonable time period;

» For food fortification to succeed, appropriate policies and various scientific, technological, economic, and logistic issues need to be addressed;

» The continued high prevalence of micronutrient malnutrition in any country is unacceptable, and every country’s efforts towards its elimination should be supported;

» It is imperative that academic, government, private, and non-governmental organizations lend expertise and share resources to develop and apply responsible and appropriate food-fortification programmes to eliminate nutritional deficiencies;

» We will work together to open channels to collaborate in policy development and in the application of technology and research for fortification programmes to succeed;

» Since the success of a food-fortification programme relies on the acceptance of the programme by the general public, we will collectively work towards promoting public awareness and acceptance through responsible communication.

» We urge national governments to lead the efforts to eliminate micronutrient deficiencies in their respective countries, commencing with the timely identification of population needs and appropriate solutions that may include food fortification suitable for local conditions;

» We urge national governments to adopt Codex Alimentarius standards for food fortification to harmonize international efforts and ensure safe and effective food fortification;

» We urge governments of countries with populations at high risk of nutritional deficiencies to regulate the fortification of appropriate foods;

» We request national governments, together with the food industry, to build the infrastructure in support of food-fortification efforts and to adopt strict quality control standards and monitor closely the process and outcome;

» We urge national governments to provide incentives and assistance to the food industry to ensure the timely implementation of effective food fortification at an affordable cost;

» We urge all sectors, including the food industry as well as academic, international, and bilateral organizations, to forge partnerships with national governments to implement successful food fortification. Participants of this conference come from the government, major food industries, academia, and nongovernmental sectors throughout the regions of the world.