A stable vitamin A ingredient aimed at mass food fortification has cleared commercial-scale process validation, with manufacturing now anchored in India following a transfer from a French production site.
Particles for Humanity and Hexagon Nutrition announced the successful validation of PFH-VAP — branded commercially as VIT A+ — a vitamin A palmitate formulation engineered for durability under the storage and cooking conditions common in low- and middle-income markets. Each commercial-scale batch yields enough VIT A+ to fortify 600 million food servings, a throughput figure that positions the ingredient for integration into large government and NGO-backed fortification programs.
Why It Matters
For the foodservice supply chain, the significance lies in the target vehicle categories: bouillon cubes, milled flour, and refined sugar — commodity staples that move through both retail and institutional foodservice channels at scale across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. Fortification mandates in these markets increasingly require suppliers to source micronutrient premixes that survive high-heat processing and extended ambient shelf life, two performance bars that conventional vitamin A forms routinely fail. VIT A+ was specifically designed to clear those bars, and the validation campaign — conducted by Hexagon Nutrition at its India facility — demonstrates consistent batch-to-batch performance at commercial volume.
The manufacturing transfer originated from LIS by Lesaffre's site in France, shifting production to Hexagon Nutrition's India operations following the partnership announced in 2025. The move is expected to lower unit production costs, a key lever for expanding adoption in price-sensitive fortification tenders where ingredient economics heavily influence program viability.
Commercialization Path
"Completing this manufacturing transfer is a major milestone in the development of PFH-VAP and brings us one step closer to making this technology broadly available through food fortification programs," said Sherri C. Oberg, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Particles for Humanity. Vikram Kelkar, Managing Director of Hexagon Nutrition Limited, noted that the validation "demonstrates that VIT A+ can be manufactured reliably at commercial scale," and pointed to plans to engage partners across the fortification ecosystem.
With validation complete, both organizations will shift focus to adoption — working with food manufacturers, millers, and fortification program administrators to integrate VIT A+ into active supply agreements. Hexagon Nutrition already exports to more than 70 countries, giving the partnership a ready distribution infrastructure as commercialization accelerates.
For food and beverage manufacturers operating in or sourcing from emerging markets, the development signals a more reliable supply pathway for a compliant vitamin A input — relevant context as regulators in several high-deficiency markets tighten enforcement of mandatory fortification standards. Operators and procurement teams tracking ingredient supply and food safety compliance should note that validated commercial-scale capacity now exists outside Western Europe for this category of micronutrient premix. Broader trends in functional ingredients and fortification suggest demand for stable, heat-tolerant vitamin forms will continue to intensify as institutional foodservice programs expand in developing regions.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
