ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US — Uzwil, Switzerland-based Bühler has joined Millers for Nutrition, a coalition of food fortification stakeholders helping millers fortify staple foods.

Bühler, a technology partner for food, feed and mobility, and a global leader in grain processing solutions, brings its technology, expertise and training capacities to support customers in wheat flour, maize milling, rice and extrusion with fortification solutions.

“We’re delighted Bühler has joined us as a Food Processing Solutions Provider,” said Riz Yusufali, program director. “As our millers continue to evolve, they need a wider variety of support services.  Bühler’s world-class expertise will help enhance their business while improving food safety and nutrition.”

The coalition supports millers in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Tanzania in fortifying wheat and maize flours, edible oil, and rice. Fortification is the practice of deliberately adding micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) to commonly consumed food to improve its nutritional quality, thereby improving the health status of national populations. The initiative aims to improve nutrition for 1 billion people globally by 2026.

“Food fortification is one of the most effective ways to address the long-standing challenge of malnutrition, which affects about 3 billion people worldwide,” said Stefan Birrer, head of Business Area Milling Solutions at Bühler. “By joining the coalition, we aim to effectively address this issue.”

The coalition’s approach connects millers to industry experts, suppliers, social enterprises, and other solution providers to access best-in-class technical assistance and specialized training on industry best practices. The support from partners improves the nutritional value of staple foods and increases operational efficiencies and competitiveness of the businesses.

“Bühler’s teams in these countries can support on-the-ground implementation of fortification solutions at mills,” Birrer said. “Training is a key element in this journey, and Bühler brings in experience, processing solutions, experts, and a global network.”

In Nairobi, Kenya, Bühler runs the African Milling School, which has trained over 1,500 students from more than 25 countries since its opening in 2015. In recent years, Bühler has installed micro-dosers for adding nutrients to flour in milling plants worldwide. These examples highlight the potential for impactful collaboration with coalition members.

The Millers for Nutrition coalition is supported by Strategic Fortification Partners: BASF, BioAnalyt, Bühler, DSM-firmenich, Mühlenchemie, SternVitamin; Regional Strategic Fortification Partners: Hexagon Nutrition, Piramal, Sanku; and a growing group of local technical partners that share a common vision of improving food processing practices and fortification excellence that ultimately benefits the society while enhancing business sustainability.