How to add Micronutrient Powder (MNP) to Complementary Foods

 Why use MNPs?

• A diet of foods with too few micronutrients will harm the health and development of young children from 6 up to 24 months of age.
• MNPs are vitamin and mineral powders that can be added directly to soft or mushy semisolid or solid cooked foods prepared in the home to improve the nutritional quality of foods for young children.
• The single serving sachets allow families to fortify a young child’s food at an appropriate and safe level.

How to Add MNPs to Complementary Foods

1. Wash hands with soap.
2. Prepare cooked food – thick porridge, mashed potato, or any soft or mushy semi-solid or solid food.
   • Make sure that the food is at ready-to-eat temperature
   • Do NOT add the MNPs to hot food: if the food is hot, the iron will change the colour and taste of the food.
   • Do NOT add the MNPs to any liquids (water, tea or watery porridge): in cold liquids MNPs lump and don’t mix but float on top; the iron will dissolve instantly and change the colour and taste of the food.
3. Separate a small portion of the soft or mushy semi-solid or solid cooked food within the child’s bowl.
4. Pour the entire contents of one sachet of MNPs into the small portion of food:
   • Shake the unopened sachet to ensure that the powder is not clumped
   • Tear open the sachet and pour the entire contents into the small amount of food so that the child will eat all of the micronutrients in the first few spoonfuls
   • Mix the sachet contents and the small portion of food well
5. Give the child the small portion of food mixed with MNPs to finish, and then feed the child the rest of the food
   • The food should be consumed within 30 minutes of mixing with the MNPs.

You can add the entire packet of MNPs to any meal. However, only one sachet of MNPs should be given during a day.