VITAMIN ANGELS SHARES NEW EVIDENCE TO ADVANCE COUNTRY-LED NUTRITION PROGRAMS AT THE 2026 MICRONUTRIENT FORUM

Building on longstanding work advancing UNIMMAP-MMS and more than 30 years in maternal and child nutrition, Vitamin Angels shares new research on translating proven interventions into sustainable impact.

• Since 2018, Vitamin Angels has worked with governments and partners to advance UNIMMAP multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS), combining implementation science, technical expertise, product supply and health systems strengthening to support sustainable scale-up.
   
• New research highlights how countries can improve the delivery, uptake, and adherence of MMS as part of antenatal care, while strengthening vitamin A supplementation and deworming programs for children.
   
• The findings demonstrate the importance of integrated nutrition interventions, country leadership and strong primary health care systems to deliver sustainable impact.

GOLETA, Calif., Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At the 2026 Micronutrient Forum Global Conference in Accra, Ghana, Vitamin Angels shared new research and implementation evidence from across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, demonstrating how proven nutrition interventions can be effectively integrated into national health systems to improve maternal and child health.

The research builds on Vitamin Angels' longstanding experience advancing maternal and child nutrition programs, including its work since 2018 to accelerate the introduction and scale-up of UNIMMAP multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) and more than three decades of work expanding access to vitamin A supplementation and deworming. Its contributions reflect years of collaboration with governments, local partners, researchers and global health organizations to move beyond the availability of proven nutrition interventions and address the practical challenges of delivering them sustainably at scale.

"Since 2018, Vitamin Angels has been working alongside governments and local partners to advance the introduction and scale-up of UNIMMAP-MMS as part of antenatal care," said Dr. Ana Céspedes, President and CEO of Vitamin Angels. "Our experience has reinforced an important lesson: delivering a proven nutrition intervention is necessary, but it is not sufficient. Sustainable impact requires strong health systems, trained health workers, reliable product supply, effective behavior change strategies and, above all, country leadership. By combining implementation science with our global operational experience, we help countries adapt what works, accelerate learning, and build the capacity for sustainable scale-up."

From evidence to implementation: Advancing UNIMMAP-MMS within antenatal care

Among the research Vitamin Angels presented at the Forum were findings from Indonesia and Kenya examining how countries can strengthen the introduction and delivery of MMS.

In Indonesia, Vitamin Angels has worked with government, universities and technical partners since 2018 to advance MMS, including through implementation research, policy support, health worker training, behavior change strategies, and efforts to strengthen local product supply. This work helped inform Indonesia's government-led national MMS program, launched in October 2024. Building on that experience, new research presented at the Forum examined how digital tools could support MMS uptake and adherence as the program scales. A pilot using WhatsApp groups through existing health-system structures found the approach feasible and potentially scalable, while also identifying the importance of health worker training, consistent facilitation and engagement among pregnant women.

"Our objective is to support governments in building the capabilities required for sustainable nutrition programs," said Otte Santika, Vitamin Angels Country Advisor in Indonesia. "Digital innovation offers opportunities to strengthen existing health services, improve communication between health workers and pregnant women, and support MMS uptake and adherence. The key is developing practical solutions that governments can integrate into their own systems."

In Makueni County, Kenya, formative research conducted with the County Government demonstrated the importance of addressing adherence alongside access. While approximately 93% of pregnant women surveyed received iron and folic acid supplementation, only 17% completed the recommended 180-day course. At the same time, approximately 95% of pregnant women and 96% of health providers expressed support for MMS. The findings of this project, funded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as part of the Caring for Women & Children, helped inform the introduction of Kenya's first county-wide MMS program, demonstrating how implementation research can translate into government-led action.

"We already have strong scientific evidence supporting MMS. What we need now is to understand how to deliver it consistently and effectively through real-world health systems," said Dr. Lucy Kanya, Vitamin Angels Africa Regional Technical Director and Transforming Lives Through Nutrition Project Lead. "Working alongside governments, health workers and communities allows us to identify what works in different contexts and translate those lessons into sustainable programs that can reach more women and children."

Additional research presented at the Forum examined MMS acceptability, service delivery and scale-up in Uganda, the Philippines, Zambia, Bhutan and Indonesia, generating practical evidence to inform country-specific implementation strategies.

Strengthening the evidence for integrated maternal nutrition

Beyond individual country studies, Vitamin Angels presented findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis of 51 studies examining strategies for delivering nutrition interventions during pregnancy. The peer-reviewed research, published in Advances in Nutrition in 2026, found that MMS could improve maternal anemia outcomes compared with iron and folic acid supplementation alone when introduced early in pregnancy and supported by individualized counseling and follow-up. It also highlighted the value of combining nutrition counseling, physical activity, and weight-gain monitoring within primary health care. These findings reinforce the importance of an integrated approach to antenatal care, with implementation strategies adapted to local health systems and population needs.

More than three decades of experience advancing child nutrition

Vitamin Angels' research at the Forum also extended beyond maternal nutrition. Research from India, Cambodia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo examined how countries can strengthen vitamin A supplementation and deworming programs, address barriers to coverage, and improve the delivery of routine child nutrition services.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Vitamin Angels reached more than 13 million children with vitamin A in 2025, a landscape analysis conducted in collaboration with the government's National Nutrition Program identified opportunities to better integrate vitamin A supplementation and deworming into routine primary health care, including through stronger supply chain coordination, monitoring, and community engagement. The findings provide practical evidence to inform efforts to move beyond periodic campaigns toward more sustainable, government-led delivery.

Additional research from India and Cambodia examined barriers to vitamin A supplementation and deworming and opportunities to improve program delivery as country contexts and health systems evolve. Together, the findings demonstrate how decades of experience delivering proven child nutrition interventions can be paired with implementation research to strengthen the systems needed to sustain them over time.

Pioneering climate-resilient nutrition: Translating global priorities into action

Vitamin Angels also convened the symposium Increasing Climate Resilience Through Health System Strengthening and Nutrition Action, bringing together international researchers and government leaders to examine how integrated nutrition programs and stronger health systems can help protect maternal and child health amid increasing climate pressures.

This work is reflected in Vitamin Angels' innovative five-year Climate-Inspired Nutrition Through Action (CINTA) initiative in Indonesia. CINTA advances an integrated, climate-resilient approach to maternal and child nutrition at a time when the 2026 Global Nutrition Report is calling for stronger coordination across food and health systems to protect nutrition amid increasing climate pressures.

Working alongside the Indonesian government and local partners, Vitamin Angels is developing and supporting the scale-up of a climate-resilient, integrated package of nutrition interventions, including MMS, vitamin A supplementation, deworming, breastfeeding promotion and complementary feeding. The initiative brings together implementation science, policy development, health worker capacity strengthening, local supply chain development and improved nutrition monitoring. Over five years, CINTA aims to reach approximately 12 million women and children and train nearly one million health workers.

Translating science into sustainable impact

The evidence and implementation insights shared at the Micronutrient Forum reflect the approach underpinning Vitamin Angels 2030: Science. Systems. Scale., the organization's new five-year strategy to bring proven nutrition solutions to 477 million women and children across 57 countries by 2030. Building on its existing expertise and partnerships, the strategy deepens Vitamin Angels' focus on generating and applying evidence, strengthening health systems, and working alongside governments and partners to sustainably scale proven nutrition interventions.

To learn more about Vitamin Angels' research and its approach to advancing maternal and child nutrition, visit the Vitamin Angels' Micronutrient Forum webpage and Vitamin Angels 2030: Science. Systems. Scale.

ABOUT VITAMIN ANGELS
Founded in 1994, Vitamin Angels is a global health nonprofit working to save lives and improve the health of women and children most at risk through proven nutrition solutions. Guided by science, Vitamin Angels works alongside governments and partners to strengthen health systems, provide technical assistance, advance advocacy, and expand sustainable access to essential nutrition interventions. Today, the organization reaches more than 74 million women and children annually across approximately 65 countries and all 50 U.S. states. Vitamin Angels has earned the highest marks for financial transparency from Charity Navigator and Candid. To learn more, visit vitaminangels.org

SOURCE Vitamin Angels