Program Performance and Synthesis of Monitoring Information for Food Fortification

This chapter provides an overview of monitoring and evaluation issues related to food fortification. It presents the foundational 2006 WHO/FAO monitoring and evaluation background for food fortification and briefly describes the principal components of regulatory and household/individual monitoring and evaluation (M&E). Additionally, these components are integrated within a systematic six step framework for M&E of food fortification programs. Ideally, the information generated by an M&E system should be regularly reviewed by a national multisector coalition of key stakeholders commonly known as a Food Fortification Alliance. M&E program performance is critical for determining whether foods are being fortified according to country standards and for estimating dietary and nutritional impact. Ultimately, a strong fortification M&E system is one that includes information from all M&E components and provides this information to decision makers so they can make adjustments to improve food fortification program effectiveness.