USAID Project Individual Consultancy – Designing Business Models & Investment Case for Food Fortification in Uganda – USAID Advancing Nutrition (USAID AN)
Service Being Provided: Consultancy, Download SOW
Organization: USAID Advancing Nutrition (USAID AN)
Activity Name: Designing Business Models & Investment Case for Food Fortification in Uganda
Date of Request: July 14, 2022
Purpose: To design Business/Investment case models for Food Fortification in Uganda
Place of Performance: Uganda
Provider(s): Individual Consultant (TBD)
Period of Performance: July 25, 2022 – September, 2022 (30 LOE days)
Activity Internal Project #: 37462.1912.0002
SERVICES/SCOPE OF WORK: The consultant shall use all reasonable efforts to perform the following services in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this agreement:
Introduction
USAID Advancing Nutrition (USAID AN) is USAID’s flagship multi-sectoral nutrition project implemented by John Snow Research and Training Institute Inc. The project aims to support the Government of Uganda (GOU) to reduce micronutrient deficiencies by improving the quality of diet through strengthening compliance to food fortification standards, enforcement and monitoring. USAID Advancing Nutrition works with the Nutrition Division of the Ministry of Health (MOH) as the coordinating body and the Secretariat of the National Working Group on Food Fortification (NWGFF), the public sector (ministries, departments and agencies, regulatory bodies), the private sector (private sector institutions, food processing industries, associations), civil society organizations, partners, and academia and research institutions, to implement and support actions to strengthen food fortification for public health impact.
Specifically, USAID Advancing Nutrition focuses on the following objectives: 1) increase the capacity of the public sector to enforce food fortification standards and regulations; 2) strengthen the capacity of the private sector to comply with food fortification regulations and standards and increase coverage; 3) strengthen partnerships and stakeholder coordination in food fortification; and 4) raise awareness on the benefits of fortified foods.
Background
Food fortification is defined as the practice of deliberately increasing the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) during processing of food so as to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and to provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health. Food fortification achieved through industrial processing is a high impact intervention in scaling up nutrition efforts on reduction of chronic malnutrition including stunting and micronutrient deficiencies like Iron Deficiency Anemia, Vitamin A, Zinc, Iodine, and Folic deficiencies that result in impaired cognitive, growth and development, birth defects, morbidity and mortality .
The Uganda Demographic Health Survey (UDHS) 2016, registered stunting at 29%, Anemia at 53%, and Vitamin A deficiency at 9% among children 6-59 months. The uptake of interventions that contribute to reduction of stunting and micronutrient deficiencies like Vitamin A supplementation is at 62% for children 6-59 months, and for children 6-23 months, the minimum acceptable diet (MAD) is at 15% and only 40% consumed iron rich foods. Anemia is at 32% among women of reproductive age (15-49 years), and 33% for adolescent girls (15-19 years) and only 22% of women of reproductive age (15-49 years) who gave birth 12 months preceding the survey took 90+ Iron-folic supplements during pregnancy. The UDHS 2016, also indicates relatively high levels of anemia in men with 16% of men (15-49 years) and 26% of adolescent boys (15-19 years) anemic. Only 34% of school children consume school meals in schools . This situation points to the need for improvements in micronutrient intake across key demographic groups. Given the role that large-scale food fortification can have in reducing micronutrient deficiencies, coupled with the favorable public and private sector environment, this intervention should form a key part of Uganda’s national strategy to reduce micronutrient deficiencies.
Food fortification in Uganda has been a priority since the early 1990s. In 1997, the Ministry of Health (MOH) issued the Food and Drugs (control of quality) (Iodized Salt) Regulations, 1997, mandating universal salt fortification in Uganda. The fortification program was expanded to additional food vehicles with the Food and Drugs (Food Fortification) Regulations, 2005, which called for industries producing wheat flour, maize flour, and edible oil and fat to voluntarily fortify their products.
To promote increased production of fortified foods the MOH issued the Food and Drugs (Food Fortification) (Amendment) Regulations, 2011, which made fortification mandatory for multiple food vehicles, including edible oils & fats, maize and wheat flour (MOH 2011). The regulation requires mandatory fortification with a specified premix formulation of all industrial mills producing a certain capacity of a food vehicle (twenty metric tons of maize meal and flour, ten metric tons of edible oils and fats, and All white and brown wheat flours), in twenty-four continuous hours in a single or multiple mill owned by the same producer or which is imported into Uganda (MOH 2017)
Uganda has made considerable progress in the enforcement and compliance of the food fortification regulation through support from the public and private sector, USAID, GAIN, FFI and other stakeholders. However, compliance and uptake of the fortified products is still low. Findings from the Fortification Assessment Coverage Tool (FACT) study conducted in 2015 with support from Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) reported household coverage of fortified foods, with 93% of households consuming fortified salt of the 99.5% who consume salt, 54% consuming fortified oils of 90% who consume oil, only 9% consuming fortified wheat flour of the 11% consuming wheat flour, and only 7% consuming fortified maize flour of the 92% that consume maize flour. Overall, the consumption of fortified maize flour is still low across the country partly due to the fact that most of the producers are small and medium scale, while wheat flour consumption is largely achieved in urban and peri-urban areas.
Purpose of the Activity
The project wants to explore an Inclusive Business Development approach to support national efforts to scale up industrial food fortification in Uganda. The project works with and through the private sector and supports public sector partners in creating an institutional environment for large-scale adoption of food fortification practices and technologies. Alignment of efforts and interests of private sector partners (business cases) with economic incentives will form the basis for large-scale adoption of food fortification.
USAID Advancing Nutrition in collaboration with the Private Sector Foundation Uganda and Ministry of Health seeks to hire a consultant to design business case models for food fortification of maize flour, wheat flour, edible oils & fats, and salt, as guided by the Food and Drug (Food Fortification) Regulation and Standards.
Objectives of the Activity
The general objective of this assignment is to design business/investment case models for maize flour, wheat flour, and edible oils and fats and salt businesses involved in fortification as guided by the Food and Drug (Food Fortification) Regulation and Standards.
The specific objectives of the assignment are to:
- Conduct an in-depth mapping and analysis of the value chain processes & systems, stakeholders, investments/intervention in food fortification
- Identify how fortification fits effectively into the food fortification regulation and standards, and the food industry (from a business perspective). What opportunities can be leveraged to make a whole business approach for food fortification etc.
- Identify what it takes to operationalize fortification as an effective business approach, including but not limited to the required organizational structure, technical skills and trainings, economic incentives and financing (inclusive of income and costing projects and business financing requirements).
- Design business models for food fortification for maize flour, wheat flour, and edible oils and fats and salt businesses to inform investment case for food fortification.
- This should include tools, resources on business incentives and business support services to fortified foods processors.
Activities
- Based on the objectives, the consultant will be required to work with the key stakeholders including the private sector to provide an analysis of the present scenario and develop business models expected to provide overall direction to the business operations making it sustainable, efficient and scalable in the long run. The models should be time bound and show clear achievable targets within defined timelines. Available literature will largely inform understanding of the processes in the food value chain.
- The business/investment case development is expected to follow a four stepwise approach/logic including; scoping, screening & selection, planning & design, and should show how implementation & monitoring will be done. The consultant will consult with the private sector including potential businesses/food processors involved in food fortification to develop business models taking into consideration the food value chain, and the four stepwise approaches, and other business concepts including: ‘Business to Business’; ‘Business to Consumers’; and ‘Business to Business to Consumer’, among others relevant to the assignment.
- The consultant will develop and present an inception report detailing the execution plan, methodology, schedules, relevant reports/documents for literature review and tools for the consultancy scope of work with the MOH NWGFF secretariat, USAID Advancing Nutrition team, and the NWGFF for consensus.
- Draft business/investment case models will be shared for review and validation to key stakeholders
- The models will be finalized based on feedback from key stakeholders
Consultant Qualifications
Level of education:
- Years of experience: At least 6 years’ experience in business development of private sector stakeholders using an inclusive business approach
- Geographic expertise: Uganda/East Africa Region
- Travel: Ability to travel across the regions of Uganda, depending on need.
Experience:
- Experience developing business/investment case models
- Proven experience in working with the private sector, specifically the food processing companies/industries, and or agri-businesses
- Experience in developing marketing strategies for agricultural products/services – preferably for fortified and/or processed food products
- Analytical skill sets required of different functionalities in the food value chain and or agribusiness set-up
- Experience working with diverse cultural and skills background
- Ability to follow strict time frame
- Good working experience in Uganda’s agricultural and food processing/industry sector
Skills:
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Excellent writing skills
- Excellent communication skills
- Excellent programming skills
How to Apply:
The interested candidates should submit:
- A technical proposal explaining comprehension of the Request for Proposal, Implementation approach to the assignment, the methodologies, tools to be used including schedule for the assignment
- A financial proposal outlining expected fees and other related costs and all necessary activities
- Samples of similar and previous assignments.
All interested applicants should submit the above documents to hr_uganda@advancingnutrition.org. Please include the consultancy title in the subject line of the e-mail.
Deadline: 22nd July 2022