From malnutrition to nutrition security: Building solutions at scale
Pakistan continues to face a nutrition challenge of significant scale. The National Nutrition Survey 2018 found that 40.2 per cent of children under five were stunted and 17.7 per cent were wasted, while 28.9 per cent were underweight[1]. UNICEF estimates that stunting affects around 10 million Pakistani children and wasting around 5 million, with malnutrition contributing to an estimated US$17 billion in annual economic losses.
The challenge begins even before birth. UNICEF’s Pakistan Maternal Nutrition Strategy describes maternal nutrition as a cornerstone of maternal and child health, linking better nutrition before conception, during pregnancy and after birth to better maternal and child outcomes. Globally, UNICEF estimates that half of stunting in children under two develops during pregnancy and the first six months of life[2].
A challenge too large for one sector
Addressing a problem of this scale requires more than individual interventions. The government can provide policy, standards and national direction while the private sector can contribute manufacturing capacity, quality systems and reliable supply chains.
Pakistan is already demonstrating what such collaboration can achieve. The Benazir Nashonuma Programme, supported by BISP, WFP, WHO and UNICEF, integrates nutrition into the country’s social-protection system. UNICEF reports that children enrolled were 22 per cent less likely to be stunted at six months of age, alongside improvements in maternal nutrition and birth outcomes[3].
For the private sector, the responsibility is increasingly clear: build the manufacturing capabilities and quality systems needed to turn nutrition interventions into reliable, scalable solutions.
Building nutrition solutions in Pakistan
Innovita works with UNICEF and the World Food Programme to provide customised vitamin and mineral premixes for specialised nutrition products, including Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), Ready-to-Use Supplementary Food (RUSF), Small-Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (LNS-SQ) and Super Cereal. These products support the treatment and prevention of malnutrition.
Maternal nutrition has also been a focus, particularly during the first 1,000 days of life. Within the wider Ismail Industries ecosystem, collaboration with the Gates Foundation led to Wellma, a ready-to-eat balanced energy-protein product for pregnant and lactating women, aimed at supporting maternal nutrition during the critical first 1,000 days of life.
From public health to commercial nutrition
Beyond public-health nutrition, Innovita serves the wider food and nutrition industry through two core verticals. We develop customised vitamin and mineral premixes for early-life nutrition, staple-food fortification, beverages, bakery and confectionery, alongside ready-to-market nutritional products spanning electrolyte powders, GLP-1 muscle support, adult nutrition and functional dietary supplements.
Innovita is one of only 16 GAIN-approved liquid-premix and 28 dry-premix facilities globally. GAIN, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, maintains a network of premix facilities assessed against defined quality standards. Built around Swiss-engineered Bühler technology, Innovita’s manufacturing facility has approximately 6,500 MT in annual production capacity, supported by an in-house analytical laboratory. Our quality framework includes FSSC 22000, ISO certifications and U.S. FDA food-facility registration.
Innovita has built an export footprint across multiple continents, including more than 25 customised premix formulations for infant formula brands in Europe. More recently, our partnership with Barentz has extended our reach across the United States, Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica.
At Innovita, we believe public-health priorities, responsible partnerships and world-class local manufacturing can make better nutrition more accessible while building solutions for communities around the world.
References
[1] https://www.unicef.org/pakistan/national-nutrition-survey-2018
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