How We Work

Micronutrients include familiar things like iron, calcium, and vitamin D. A broad based micronutrient program is preferable, and essentially costs much the same as a narrow program, but in either case the cost is very small. And since most countries already have some limited program in place, improving a country's micronutrient program requires very little incremental expense. Rather than act as a band aid which addresses an urgent need, but has no long term impact, we prefer to help governments and local villages design comprehensive micronutrient programs. We also recognize that sometimes a journey begins with a single step, and so in some cases the most effective path is a narrow program that expands with time.

Few, if any, countries have comprehensive programs in place. In most cases the laws and practices have evolved over time with little overall strategic vision. The lack of strategic vision in nearly every case, leads back to an issue of mind-share. We do all the work for the government. PHC covers all the expenses and makes it as easy as possible for them to design and implement a comprehensive, long term, fortification strategy.

In a given country, passing this legislation takes between two and four years to complete. Depending upon the timeframe, the costs to permanently improve the lives of millions within a country can vary between $200,000 and $400,000. Few programs today can make that economic claim.

We work with organizations like The Micronutrient Initiative, A2Z and USAID, The Flour Fortification Initiative, the Centers for Disease Control, and UNICEF to leverage their technical knowledge and expertise. But at the same time we remain independent and fleet-footed.