Dialogue on Vitamin A Fortification 

Dialogue on Vitamin A Fortification 

On 24 January 2011, relevant ministries, the industry, universities and NGOs, as well as students attended a talk show on the topic of cooking oil fortification with vitamin A. The event took place in one of the conference rooms at the Ministry of Education, Jakarta. It was organized by KFI and GAIN and supported by the cooking oil industry (Musimas and Wilmar) as well as SAFO/BASF. Among the speakers was the chairman of KFI, the Director of Nutrition from the Ministry of Health, the Director General of Trade from the Ministry of Trade, the Director General of Agro-Industry from the Ministry of Industry, the Deputy of Food and Drug Inspections from the National Agency for Food and Drug Control (BPOM), and the Chairman of the Indonesian Vegetable Oil Producers Association (GIMNI). The dialogue was also attended by representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Program (WFP), Helen Keller International (HKI), partners in the cooking oil industry (notably Musimas and Wilmar), BASF, GIZ and GAIN. The event was held back-to-back with the National Nutrition Day and presented an opportunity to critically reflect on vitamin A fortification, including home-based fortification using Taburia (commonly also known as „sprinkles‟). Many of the speakers, such as professors on Nutrition and Deputy Ministers, thanked Prof. Soekirman for his engagement and assured their support to the initiatives promoted by KFI.