Vitamin Angels, a public health nonprofit dedicated to improving maternal and child nutrition worldwide, has expanded its multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) programs globally in 2022. The expansion resulted in greater global awareness and recognition of the importance of MMS and greater support for women and infants globally.
 
In collaboration with its partners, Vitamin Angels reached over 71 million underserved pregnant women and children in about 65 countries, including all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico with evidence-based nutrition interventions in 2022.
 
“One of our key focuses in 2022 was to expand the number and scope of our MMS programs globally, including within the U.S., and to help build consensus within the public health community around MMS,” said Howard B. Schiffer, founder and president. “We made significant progress and there is still a lot more work to be done to ensure that every pregnant person in need has access to MMS.”
 
Specific program highlights of 2022 included supporting the development of Indonesian national MMS policy, addressing global supply chain issues, and partnering with UNICEF to combat undernutrition in India.
 
One of Vitamin Angels’ largest MMS projects is in Indonesia, where they are concentrating efforts on the introduction of MMS for pregnant women. The organization is collaborating with government and several academic partners to explore systematic introduction of MMS within the country’s prenatal care system.
 
The organization also helped to build a supply strategy for countries at the national, regional, and global scale, which addressed manufacturing challenges and increasing global demand for MMS. They worked with Kirk Humanitarian to publish a paper which addresses the need to scale the global supply of multiple micronutrient supplements to meet the growing demand.
 
The company reported outstanding support from several corporate partners. Walgreens reached over 350 million women and children and expanded a Chicago prenatal pilot program which distributes free Vitamin Angels prenatal vitamins and minerals and education to underserved women in the south and west sides of the City.
 
Bayer reached over four million women and children with MMS and played a role in Vitamin Angels’ global expansion. The organization also noted SmartyPants and The Vitamin Shoppe as critical supporters.
 
In 2022, Vitamin Angels also implemented a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program, which focused on an internal process of stakeholder feedback for all staff regarding DEI training, career advancement, recruitment, and retention.
 
The organization also launched a new website at the beginning of 2023.
 
Looking ahead, Vitamin Angels intends to double their impact to reach 140 million women and children annually by 2033. This will require continued work with partners to build consensus around MMS, and provide more innovative technical assistance through learning solutions, monitoring and evaluation, and supply chain solutions, according to the organization. They will also create a more comprehensive package of maternal, infant, and young child nutrition interventions and social behavior change strategies to improve uptake and adherence.