Hiring of a third-party laboratory for testing of fortified wheat flour and edible oil samples, and Iron, Folic Acid, B12 and Zinc Premix for wheat flour, and Vitamin A&D3 premix for oil fortification

1.  Background

Under TechnoServe’s IGNITE grant, Nutrition International (NI) is leading Pakistan's efforts to promote better public health outcomes by reducing micronutrient deficiencies. NI is achieving this by scaling up, institutionalizing, and applauding food fortification efforts by industry and other relevant stakeholders across wheat flour and edible oil. Our activities are focused on enabling and celebrating millers, with a core emphasis on quality assurance for adequate and sustained fortification of these commonly consumed food items.

To strengthen quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) of fortified oil and wheat flour, Nutrition International seeks to engage an independent third-party laboratory to perform testing of fortified wheat flour and edible oil and their respective premixes containing Iron, Folic Acid, B12 and Zinc for wheat flour fortification and Vitamin A & D3 premix for edible oil fortification. The selected laboratory will play a critical role in verifying the adequacy of fortification levels and the quality of premix and ensuring compliance for fortified food products with the PSQCA approved regulatory standards and the premixes against the Certificate of Analysis issued by the suppliers.

2.  Objective of the Assignment

The objective of this assignment is to engage a third-party laboratory to provide independent testing services for fortified wheat flour and edible oil and their premixes under the LSFF program using national and internationally accredited tested methods. The laboratory will support the program by conducting quantitative tests for Iron in wheat flour and Vitamin A in edible oil/ghee and ensuring timely reporting of results to facilitate evidence-based decision-making. Where the samples of premixes will be tested against all nutrients such as Iron, Folic Acid, B12 and Zinc for wheat flour fortification and Vitamin A & D3 for edible oil fortification.

3.  Scope of Work

The selected laboratory will be responsible for the following tasks:

3.1  Sample Management

• Receive samples of fortified wheat flour, fortified edible oil and their premixes dispatched by Zonal Managers from production, market, and household levels.
• Store samples in controlled conditions to maintain reliability and retention of ingredients before testing.

3.2  Testing and Quality Assurance

• Perform quantitative tests for:
  • Iron, Folic Acid, B12 and Zinc for wheat flour premix
  • Vitamin A & D3 for edible oil premix
  • Vitamin A in fortified edible oil
  • Added Iron in the fortified wheat flour
  • Premix quality test to determine whether the premix has claimed amount of micronutrients and it did not lose any of its potency during supply chain and storage process.
  • Describe and document equipment and procedures used for testing to ensure transparency and reliability. Perform test and issue reports within three days of receiving the sample.
  • Implement internal quality control measures and ensure cross-validation of test results at a reference laboratory

3.3  Data Management and Reporting

• Share reports of the test to National and Provincial Program Managers via email immediately after testing.
• Maintain digital records of samples received, tested, and stored in their Database Management Information System for the duration of at least two years or as per the lab’s internal SOPs.
• Ensure timely submission of monthly reports along with Invoices detailing the number of samples collected, tested, and stored to the NI’s third party Admin and HR management firm for release of payment.

3.4  Capacity Building

• Act as a resource center for capacity-building initiatives targeting public and private sector laboratories, as and when requested.
  • Nominate a focal point for day-to-day reporting and communication with Nutrition International and the LSFF project team.

3.5  Sample Retention and Storage

• Store tested samples for a minimum period of two months from the date of analysis for any cross validation.
• Develop and implement an adequate tracking system to manage stored samples efficiently.

4.  Expected Number of Tests

1 The number of samples is based on the premix suppliers and the estimated number of mills producing fortified foods (both wheat flour and edible) and can change. Currently we are anticipating 1-2 sample per mill per month for testing for foritfied food and 2-3 sample of each premix in each shipment.