Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41769639›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in nutrition2026

The role of policy on fortification in food processing and value addition in Malawi and Mozambique-a systematic review.

Lydia Jade Makonda, Orlando Nipassa, Elsa Maria Salvador

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Lydia Jade MakondaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique.
Orlando NipassaDepartment of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique.
Elsa Maria SalvadorCentre of Excellence in Agri-food Systems and Nutrition, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Food fortification is a public health strategy for tackling micronutrient deficiencies in sub-Saharan Africa. This systematic review explores the policies governing food fortification in Malawi and Mozambique. By comparing policy implementation, regulatory mechanisms and outcomes, this review aims to identify best practices, challenges, and opportunities to strengthen fortification programs across the region. All applicable evidence collated from reports and articles published between 2000 and 2025, databases from key organizations, and reports/literature received from key informants were systematically reviewed. A total of 29 reports were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and subjected to risk of bias assessment. The key issues include high fortification costs, lack of technical knowledge and expertise, equipment limitations, quality control issues and regulatory compliance. Malawi's mandatory fortification, enacted in 2011, has demonstrated higher compliance rates, supported by robust monitoring mechanisms, albeit with limited reach into informal food processing sectors that serve rural populations. Mozambique's voluntary fortification guidelines, which became mandatory in 2016, exhibit lower compliance but greater flexibility in accommodating small and medium-scale processors. This review recommends monitoring quality and reporting, results-based implementation, stakeholder and community engagement, support and incentives to the food industries, and reduction of bureaucratic burdens to achieve effective fortification programs. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251113300, identifier PROSPERO (CRD420251113300).

Indexed as

food fortificationMalawiMozambiquepoliciesstrategies

Identifiers

PMID41769639
PMCPMC12945801

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.