WBCSD launches a playbook to accelerate food and nutrition security through food fortification 

Food is the foundation of health and is essential for culture, productivity and human potential. Yet in today’s food systems, over 3 billion individuals cannot afford a healthy diet, and over 2 billion suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, often without realizing it. This “hidden hunger” occurs when diets lack essential vitamins and minerals, and leads to weakened immune systems, impaired cognitive development, and increased risks of chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. At the same time, food production is a major driver of climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequalities. Transforming food systems to be more sustainable, equitable, and healthy is essential to ensuring food and nutrition security for all.  

While there is no single solution to fixing global food system challenges – we need a multitude of tools – food fortification is a proven, scalable, and cost-effective strategy that plays a vital role in improving global nutrition. By adding essential vitamins and minerals to everyday foods, fortification helps bridge nutrient gaps, enhance public health, and contribute to the broader shift toward healthier and more sustainable diets. However, advancing fortification efforts requires collaboration across sectors, strong regulatory frameworks, and consumer awareness.  

Addressing micronutrient deficiencies as part of food systems transformation 

Micronutrient deficiencies are exacerbated by climate change, which reduces the availability of nutrient-rich foods, and by economic barriers that make diverse, nutritious diets inaccessible to many. While these deficiencies disproportionately affect low- and middle-income populations, they are a global concern, with people across all regions and income levels lacking sufficient essential micronutrients. Recognizing the urgency of this issue, the World Health Assembly has called for stronger efforts to prevent micronutrient deficiencies through safe and effective food fortification. Fortification stands out as a cost-effective, scientifically backed intervention that can help bridge the nutrient gap on a large scale. It is not a stand-alone intervention however but must be embedded within a broader food systems approach that includes dietary diversity, responsible sourcing, and sustainable production practices.  

Practical guidance for businesses 

The private sector has a key role to play in accelerating fortification. Informed by the perspectives of WBCSD members, the new playbook offers businesses a holistic approach to overcoming challenges and implementing effective fortification strategies, while also serving as a valuable resource for policymakers, NGOs, and other stakeholders working to improve nutrition security. Drawing from insights across the industry, it highlights the following elements: 

• Foundations for effective fortification: Data-driven strategies to identify priority nutrients, select appropriate food vehicles, and ensure consumer adoption. 

• Barriers to scale: Addressing cost constraints, policy fragmentation, and consumer awareness gaps. 

• Enablers for success: Multi-stakeholder collaboration, policy and regulatory alignment, and industry leadership. 

• Activation strategies: Effective communication, consumer engagement, and capacity-building to sustain long-term fortification efforts. 

Ensuring access to essential nutrients through food fortification requires collaboration across the value chain. At Tetra Pak, we are committed to supporting our customers and working in collaboration with partners to provide access to safe nutrition. By aligning our efforts, we can work together to develop fortified solutions that are both scalable and impactful. This playbook is a crucial step toward aligning industry efforts and driving meaningful change.

– Tetra Pak 

As a leader in nutrition, we have an ambition to help combat micronutrient deficiencies. Large-scale food fortification is a cost-effective solution to end hidden hunger by delivering vital nutrients and ultimately bringing progress to life.

– dsm-firmenich 

Driving action: The path forward 

As global leaders prepare for the 2025 Nutrition for Growth Summit, the conversation around improving food systems and public health is gaining momentum. Fortification is already recognized as a key lever within a holistic strategy to enhance nutritional quality and food and nutrition security. The Summit presents a valuable opportunity to highlight the steps needed to further accelerate progress, including strengthening regulatory frameworks, increasing investment in fortification initiatives, and expanding consumer awareness.  

For those looking to make a tangible impact, WBCSD’s playbook offers a starting point and best practices to contribute to enhance fortification efforts and integrate them into a healthy, sustainable and equitable food future. By working together, we can make fortified foods more accessible and impactful as part of a comprehensive approach to transforming food systems. 

This playbook was created by a collaborative effort between consultancy Eat Well Global, WBCSD, and experts working in fortification and/or biofortification within the private sector from the member companies of WBCSD’s Healthy & Sustainable Diets workstream.

For more information about this playbook, please contact the Healthy & Sustainable Diets team.