Transitioning from food to nutrition security in India

• Jul 26, 2025
• 2 min

60% of India’s population suffers from anemia and micronutrient deficiencies, which undermines national health and productivity. To address this emergency, the Government of India sought to blend approximately 40 million tons of regular rice with fortified rice kernels (FRK) per year to enhance the nutritional value of rice distributed through public welfare programs. Fortified rice, enriched with essential micronutrients, such as iron and vitamin B12, helps combat anemia.

MSC supported the Department of Food and Public Distribution from the pilot phase in 2020 to full-scale implementation by March 2024. MSC provided strategic guidance, developed an implementation roadmap, and engaged with all states and union territories to ensure a smooth rollout. Through technical support, MSC enabled real-time monitoring to track progress effectively.

MSC conducted landscape studies in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh to assess and strengthen the supply chain of fortified rice. These insights led to the development of a digital solution to improve transparency and efficiency in fortified rice supply chain management and quality control, which was piloted with the Government of Andhra Pradesh before wider implementation. MSC also organized learning workshops in Varanasi and Vijayawada to foster collaboration. These workshops brought together state governments and stakeholders to exchange experiences and best practices.

The program significantly improved nutritional outcomes for 800 million beneficiaries. It directly benefited more than 500 million women and children by providing fortified rice through schools (PM POSHAN), Anganwadi centers, and fair price shops. It helped 16 states and union territories establish a sustainable fortification roadmap. The initiative also supported an estimated INR 20 billion capital investment for fortified rice kernel manufacturing, blending units, and laboratory infrastructure. It also created more than 50,000 jobs within the fortification ecosystem, which boosted economic sustainability.

The Gates Foundation funded the project.