Particles for Humanity Celebrates Codex Adoption of Key Ingredient in PFH-VAP for Use in Sugar and Rice
Cambridge, MA (May 13, 2025). Codex Alimentarius Commission (“Codex”) has expanded its list of foods in which basic methacrylate copolymer (BMC) can be used as a food additive. BMC is a key ingredient in Particles for Humanity’s lead product, PFH-VAP. Codex is an international organization that sets food safety and quality standards, including the General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA). PFH-VAP is a more stable formulation of vitamin A palmitate being developed for use in large scale food fortification to address vitamin A deficiency, which affects about 190 million preschool-age children, mostly from Africa and South-East Asia.
BMC is the unique encapsulation material in PFH-VAP that increases vitamin A stability by protecting the micronutrient from moisture and oxygen. BMC has decades of safe use in humans and has been approved for use in food supplements in Europe since 2010. BMC being adopted as a food additive for a specific GSFA food category is a critical safety signal to food manufacturers and national regulators. BMC was previously adopted by Codex in multiple food categories, like salt, flours, and soups and broths, including bouillon, which is widely consumed in West Africa. The expanded list of food vehicles now includes sugar and rice, which would help broaden PFH-VAP’s impact in Africa and Asia.
President of the National Codex Alimentarius Committee in Senegal, Professor Amadou Diouf, shared, “This use of BMC is an excellent innovation. It represents a major opportunity to solve deficiencies, particularly those related to sensitive micronutrients such as Vitamin A, essential in the fight against micronutrient deficiency to which our populations are exposed.”
A team from Codex Senegal sponsored the proposal to Codex, navigating the two-year, eight-step Codex adoption process to expand BMC’s listing on the GSFA. Codex was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization and comprises 188 member countries, which make decisions by consensus. Regulators in countries around the world reference Codex for guidance on safe use of food additives. Once an additive has been adopted by Codex for a food category, it can generally be considered safe for use in that food per the guidance.
Expanding the number of GSFA food categories in which BMC can be used eases acceptance of BMC by regulatory bodies worldwide. It supports the potential for PFH-VAP to be used in foods, like sugar and wheat flour, where many governments around the world require vitamin A fortification. Fortifying more foods with PFH-VAP will help combat vitamin A deficiency, a devastating public health problem in many low-income countries.
Particles for Humanity transforms early-stage medical technology into products for people living in low and lower-middle income countries, with 100% of funding from philanthropy. Its rigorous product development process is based on end-user input and is focused on financially sustainable product opportunities. Visit www.particlesfh.com or contact info@particlesfh.com