MotherFood, Sanku partner to expand fortified food access in Eastern Africa
New partnership supports small millers with fortification technology to address micronutrient deficiency across the region.
EASTERN AFRICA – MotherFood has partnered with Sanku to expand access to fortified staple foods across Eastern Africa, supporting small and medium flour mills with technology that adds essential vitamins and minerals to everyday foods.
MotherFood, a public health philanthropy, will fund the rollout of Sanku’s IoT enabled Dosifier machines and nutrient premix across selected mills. The equipment adds key vitamins and minerals to flour during production. The partners expect the effort to produce millions of fortified meals that reach families through everyday foods such as maize flour.
Felix Brooks Church, CEO of Sanku, said the partnership will help expand the organization’s reach at a time when micronutrient deficiency still affects millions across the region. “Access to nutritious food is a basic human right. Hidden hunger is too big to solve alone. By combining MotherFood’s philanthropy with our scalable model, we can reach millions more people and accelerate toward 100 million by 2028,” he said.
Supporting local millers
The program will focus on smaller millers who supply large parts of the local market. These mills often lack the equipment needed to add vitamins and minerals to flour even though many governments encourage fortification.
Sanku installs its Dosifier machines directly at milling sites. The system measures and adds the correct amount of nutrient premix during milling. This approach allows producers to supply fortified flour without raising costs for consumers.
MotherFood Global Partnerships Lead Chris Emergui said the partnership shows how funding and practical technology can work together to improve nutrition outcomes. “Together, MotherFood and Sanku show how partnerships can deliver real impact in at risk communities,” he said.
MotherFood focuses on financing and scaling nutrition programs that support local food producers. The organization also places attention on women working in food production and small food businesses.
Growing efforts to address hidden hunger
Sanku already works with more than 1,700 millers across East Africa and says its fortified flour currently reaches about 60 million people each day. The organization plans to reach 100 million people by 2028.
Recent recognition has also placed a spotlight on the model. In February 2026, Sanku became one of eight Global Grand Prize Semi Finalists in the Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge, organized by Welthungerhilfe and funded by the Seeding The Future Foundation.
Hidden hunger remains a major health concern across Sub Saharan Africa. Many diets lack iron, zinc, folic acid and other micronutrients that support growth and immune health.
Through the new partnership, MotherFood and Sanku aim to expand fortified food supply while strengthening local milling networks across Eastern Africa.
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