Food Aid Quality Review Phase II: Technical Report No.6

The contract, known as the Food Aid Quality Review (FAQR) Phase II, aimed to improve the quality of Title II food aid commodities and programming. The FAQR is part of a series of activities aimed at enhancing product choice under Title II of Public Law 480, improving quality control and assurance, and updating technical guidance and the evidence base for programming approaches. The FAQR Phase II activities include advancing the evidence base through production and testing of improved food products, their packaging and delivery methods, and comparative studies of products' nutritional effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. The work of the FAQR Phase II continues to address three areas of focus: products, programs, and processes. Specific areas of concentration include the development of specifications for updated Fortified Blended Foods (FBFs), including Corn Soy Blend 14 (CSB14), milled flours, enhanced vegetable oil, and micronutrient premixes. In the area of products, FAQR Phase II is focusing on the development of specifications for updated FBFs, including CSB14, milled flours, enhanced vegetable oil, and micronutrient premixes. Activities include laboratory and pilot production testing, acceptability trials, assessments, and recommendations for supply chain and related issues. In the area of programs, FAQR Phase II is strengthening the evidence base for food assistance programming through expert consultations and workshops on key topics and issues with representatives of the various Title II implementing agencies and other stakeholders. The FAQR Phase II is also focusing on the formation of an Interagency Food Aid Technical Committee and implementing regular meetings with major food aid agencies to address the need for harmonization of food products and related procurement and quality assurance processes used in Title II food aid. Regular work is being done with industry and other stakeholders to promote public/private partnerships for innovation and ensure stakeholder input. In the quarter from January 1, 2013, to March 31, 2013, FAQR Phase II focused on providing technical support on draft Commodity Requirement Documents (CRDs) and Commodity Information Documents (CIDs), technical support for quality assurance and product quality issues, and planning for field-based CSB with oil taste tests and identifying the procurement process for food aid products for the effectiveness studies. The FAQR team also finalized the protocol and implementation plans for the feasibility and acceptability study of CSB with oil, planned effectiveness and cost-effectiveness studies, and continued commodity costing activities. The FAQR Phase II also continued the process to make progress toward harmonization of specifications for products and guidance for programming, formed a new research initiative (Research Engagement on Food Innovation for Nutritional Effectiveness, REFINE), and continued interagency coordination with USAID and USDA. The FAQR team also held stakeholder meetings, identified and analyzed ongoing food aid research, and reviewed FAQR Phase II deliverables and activities. In terms of specific activities, the FAQR team updated the Commodity Reference Guide (CRG) Fact Sheets, including the CSB+ Fact Sheet, which was added to the CRG for the first time on March 25, 2013. The team also prepared the detailed protocol for an accelerated shelf life study of CSWB (CSB14) and doubly fortified vegetable oil to be conducted once the products for the effectiveness trial in Sierra Leone are available. The accelerated shelf life study will take 26 weeks to complete in a laboratory setting under storage conditions similar to those in developing countries.