Assessing Food Consumption and Micronutrient Intakes in Tanzania: The Role of Food Fortification

It presents findings from a collaborative project between the Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre, Micronutrient Action Policy Support project, and USAID Advancing Nutrition. The study analyzed nationally representative household food consumption data from the Tanzania National Panel Survey (2014-2015) to estimate the apparent consumption of fortified food items and the prevalence of micronutrient inadequacy. The results show widespread inadequate intakes of multiple micronutrients in Tanzania, which may remain even with current large-scale food fortification programs. The study also explored the effectiveness of fortification using three scenarios: no fortification, status quo, and full fortification coverage. The findings highlight the importance of complementary strategies, including dietary diversification and biofortification, to address micronutrient inadequacies.