National Convening of Industry Leaders Charts Collaborative Roadmap to Scale Staple Food Fortification in India

In a major step towards addressing hidden hunger and micronutrient deficiencies, Millers for Nutrition, powered by TechnoServe, in collaboration with the CII Food and Agriculture Centre of Excellence (CII FACE), convened senior policymakers, food industry leaders, millers, nutrition experts, and development sector stakeholders at the National Convening of Staple Food Industry Leaders for Developing a Roadmap on Scaling-Up Staple Food Fortification. The convening was held at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

The national forum emerged as a critical platform for strengthening industry-wide collaboration and shaping a pragmatic, market-led roadmap to accelerate the large-scale adoption of fortified staple foods across key categories including edible oil, rice, and wheat flour. Deliberations focused on enhancing industry participation, improving consumer awareness and trust, expanding retail and commercial uptake, and building sustainable solutions to address malnutrition at scale.

Speaking at the convening, Monojit Indra, Senior Practice Leader at TechnoServe and Program Leader, Millers for Nutrition Asia, underscored the importance of collective action. He noted that while India has made notable progress in advancing staple food fortification, addressing hidden hunger at scale will require deeper collaboration across the food industry ecosystem. He added that the convening helped foster stronger alignment among industry leaders, development partners, and policymakers to accelerate adoption and deliver sustained nutrition impact.

A key outcome of the discussions was the shared recognition that food fortification must evolve from being viewed primarily as a policy-driven intervention to becoming a mainstream industry movement. Participants emphasized the need for greater innovation, stronger consumer engagement, improved technical support for millers, enhanced accessibility of fortified foods, and better alignment on quality and fortification standards to build long-term consumer confidence.

Highlighting the significance of the convening, Abhishek Shukla, Country Program Manager, Millers for Nutrition India, said the discussions reaffirmed the transformative role fortification can play in strengthening India’s nutrition security. He noted that the collective commitment demonstrated by stakeholders reflected growing momentum toward scaling fortified staples through market-led approaches, industry partnerships, and increased consumer awareness.

The convening brought together senior government officials and industry leaders, including representatives from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), as well as leaders from major food and agri-business organizations such as Patanjali Foods, AWL Agri Business, Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetables, and Kaleesuwari Refinery, among others.

Discussions highlighted the expanding role of the private sector in integrating nutrition into mainstream packaged foods and scaling commercially viable fortification solutions capable of delivering long-term public health benefits. The convening concluded with a shared commitment to deepen cross-sector collaboration, promote excellence in fortification, support capacity-building for food processors and millers, and advance actionable pathways to scale fortified staple foods across India.