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19 November, 2020

Fortifying edible oil with vitamins A and D in Kazakhstan

The Kazakh Academy of Nutrition (KAN) is implementing a national programme on the voluntary fortification of edible oil with vitamins A and D, in partnership with Kazakhstan’s Fat and Oil Union, the EU Delegation in Kazakhstan, BASF and 2FAS. The programme aims to strengthen government regulatory capacity for quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC); to create a knowledge base to increase commitment to edible oil fortification; and ultimately to promote the mandatory fortification of edible oil in Kazakhstan.

As part of the programme, KAN developed a draft Standard for the fortification of edible oil, which was approved in August 2020 by the Committee for Technical Regulation and Metrology of the Ministry of Trade and Integration. The Standard will come into law in January 2021.

Following an advocacy and regulatory conference with national and international stakeholders in June 2020, training seminars are being organised for vegetable oil producers and regulatory oversight officers, in the main oil-producing regions of Kazakhstan. The first of these trainings was held on 19th November 2020 at Beles-Agro LLP Terekta oil plant in Uralsk. The objectives of the seminar were to:

  • Raise awareness of the relevance and feasibility of fortifying vegetable oil with vitamins A and D to factory personnel, managers and inspectors by providing international evidence and best practices.

  • Familiarize factory personnel and quality control officers with the composition of vitamin premix, standards, methods of analysis and safety technology.

  • Present the results of the programme’s Vitamin A Stability Study - Supply Chain Analysis, which has studied the effects of environmental, packaging and storage factors on vitamin A preservation from production to household level.

All attendees gained a deeper understanding of fortification standards, processes and procedures to ensure quality and safety during production. The programme is timely as it comes during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Fortifying oil with vitamins A and D will improve vitamin A and D intake throughout Kazakhstan and help to improve nutritional status, critical to immune system function.

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Oil fortification trial at the Eurasian Foods Corporation oil plant in Almaty, Kazakhstan

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