Latin America : Early national experiences in Haiti and Bolivia

Consumer-level fortificants (CLF) offer an innovative and simple approach to controlling iron deficiency anemia among infants and young children. A micronutrient premix packaged in small sachets is mixed with infant complementary foods during preparation to provide the necessary micronutrients. Iron supplementation during this particularly vulnerable stage in the life cycle is particularly important, as breastfeeding alone no longer offers sufficient nutrition.

I is promoting this approach in Haiti and Bolivia to provide an affordable alternative to the traditional iron supplements or traditional commercially available complementary foods that can be prohibitively expensive to our primary target groups. At a cost of approximately $ 0.50 US per child per year, these “fortificants” offer protection to children from iron deficiency anemia as well as from other micronutrient deficiencies. Once fully implemented at a national scale, this program is expected to reduce the prevalence of anemia among infants and young children by as much as 30% to 40%. In Bolivia , the Ministry of Health has committed to integrating the “CHISPAS™” CLF in its public distribution system to reach approximately 75% of children in replacement of the traditional ferrous sulphate syrup. The program will rely on commercial distribution in Haiti in partnership with Population Services International (PSI), IFPRI and World Vision. Over the coming few years, the results of this program in Haiti and Bolivia will guide implementation of similar programs in other countries in Africa and South Asia.