Particles for Humanity Invited to Present to Nigeria’s National Fortification Alliance
Cambridge, MA (February 4, 2025) Particles for Humanity was invited to attend Nigeria’s National Fortification Alliance (NFA) meeting in December 2024 in Lagos. The company’s presentation included an update on successful scale up to commercial size batches of PFH-VAP, a more stable formulation of vitamin A being developed to address vitamin A deficiency in West Africa. Particles for Humanity also presented research findings highlighting why it is important that fortification standards incorporate the stability of micronutrients.
The company’s latest research shows that commercially available vitamin A palmitate 250 (VAP250) products have different particle sizes, particle shapes, and stability profiles. Because Nigeria’s mandatory vitamin A fortification standards for wheat flour and sugar do not differentiate between VAP250 products, many food manufacturers and premixers prioritize the lowest cost VAP250 products. Revising these fortification standards will create an opportunity to encourage the use of more stable VAP250 products.
Sherri Oberg, CEO, commented, “We are grateful for the opportunity to work through complex technical and regulatory issues with the NFA. We remain eager to continue working with all food fortification stakeholders in Nigeria to ensure lifesaving micronutrients get to the communities who need them most.”
To develop relationships with important Nigerian stakeholders and get their input on development plans for PFH-VAP, Particles for Humanity has travelled to Nigeria six times, beginning with its first presentation to the NFA in November 2022. The NFA is a country-wide forum to discuss progress on food fortification objectives and opportunities for improvement. Many critical stakeholders attend, including ingredient manufacturers and premixers, rice and wheat millers, sugar refiners, NGOs, and regulators.
Vitamin A deficiency is prevalent throughout Africa, where hot and humid conditions cause vitamin A to be unstable and degrade before reaching consumers. This instability jeopardizes the effectiveness of food fortification programs in countries like Nigeria, where vitamin A deficiency is an important public health problem. PFH-VAP is 4x as stable in bouillon as a commercial product in these hot and humid conditions.
Particles for Humanity transforms early-stage medical technology into products for people living in low and lower-middle income countries, with 100% of funding from philanthropy. Its rigorous product development process is based on end-user input and is focused on financially sustainable product opportunities. Visit www.particlesfh.com or contact info@particlesfh.com