How much does fortification cost?

Costs vary based on several factors, including the current state of the production facility, the volumes produced, the level of vitamin and mineral deficiencies in the target population and local transport and distribution costs. The following information is intended to provide an indication of the costs that millers can expect to incur.

Premix: It is estimated that a premix containing five vitamins and two minerals, and added in quantities that are relevant to the improvement of the health of vulnerable population groups, will ultimately cost less than 1% of the final retail price of the product. Cost estimates of specific nutrients are provided in this Table.

Quality Control and Quality Assurance: The Iron Spot Test is a universally applied, rapid Quality Control tool used by millers of fortified flour. The spot test needs only chemicals and labour: At US$ 0.30 per test, and with a required 6 tests per 24 hours per milling unit, 300 days per year, the total cost comes to US$ 540 per year or less, depending on output. Periodic quantitative testing, for which spectrophotometers and chemicals are needed, can be done at an outside laboratory or at the mill.

Feeder and other Equipment: Costs range from US$8,000 to US$25,000 depending on the existing set-up and the degree of automated equipment required. The Feeder Manual provides estimates on setup costs and a spreadsheet that can be used to calculate the additional costs of fortification at the mill level.

The following table provides an estimate of typical costs for wheat flour fortification with iron and zinc, including initial investment costs, recurrent costs and the cost of monitoring and evaluation. Source: Allen, L, de Benoist, B, Dary, O & Hurrell, R.(2006. Guidelines on food fortification with micronutrients. Geneva. WHO and FAO, page 212, Table 9.1

Adapted from: Nestel P, Nalubola, R. Manual for Wheat Flour Fortification with Iron. Part 1. Guidelines for the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of a program for wheat flour fortification with iron. Arlington, VA, MOST, USAID, 2000.