The GAIN premix facility was set up in 2009 to help food fortification projects by establishing an easier, more cost effective way of procuring high quality vitamin and mineral premix.
Micronutrient premix is a complicated commodity. Price and quality can vary tremendously, and quality verification requires sophisticated equipment and expertise. Customers in developing countries face a number of barriers when procuring premix, including access to reliable suppliers, variable prices, quality control and lack of upfront capital for large purchases.
To address these barriers, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) established the GAIN premix facility (GPF) to make premix procurement easy.
With the GPF, GAIN customers can access high quality premix at a competitive cost. The GAIN premix facility eliminates many of the challenges of premix procurement by leveraging:
- large, combined premix volumes across multiple food fortification projects
- Robust processes and systems
- An experienced procurement and certification team
One of the main hurdles for GAIN and other international agencies involved in implementation and monitoring of food fortification programs has been the difficulty in finding suitable, reliable and cost transparent analytical laboratories. Analyzing the micronutrient content of fortified food products is key to verifying products are adequately fortified and supplying the right levels of essential nutrients. Laboratories must have experience in analyzing vitamins and minerals in a food matrix in a rapid and cost-effective way.
As a key, trusted player in the field of vitamin and mineral procurement and distribution, the GAIN premix facility’s involvement in quality control of end products is a natural expansion of its service offering.