Fortified nutrition products (ie fish sauce, staples etc) are regulated through the Ministry of Planning.

Health supplements (iron pills) regulated through Ministry of Health.

The Iron Fish is classified as an ‘at home fortification tool’ and therefor is regulated by Ministry of Health.

A National Nutrition Council coordinates nutrition research in the country. This is co-chaired between the Ministry of Health and UNICEF.

Health claims about the country’s population need to follow the National approved statistics that are released through the working group

In Cambodia, almost half the population is iron deficient. The condition cripples the local community and economy. The local diet of rice and fish has very little iron and supplements are too expensive. By cooking with iron pots iron is naturally absorbed into the food but the population use aluminum pots because they are cheaper and lighter to use.

Research showed that cooking with a piece of iron in the pot would give 75% of the daily iron intake but the local people where skeptical of cooking with lumps of metal in their food. We dug deeper into the local culture and found their symbol for health and good luck, a Fish.

By creating the iron in the form of a fish we witnessed a dramatic change in behavior. Within the first 9 months we have seen a 50% decrease in iron deficiency and have helped over 54,800 people.

The goal was simple. We needed to firstly, get the local population to understand the benefits of cooking with the Lucky Iron Fish and secondly drive a global conversation around it to encourage governments and people alike to donate just $5 to help put a fish in every pot.

Our team of volunteers went out to rural villages educating and demonstrating the benefits of cooking with the Iron Fish and we managed to turn skeptical families into proud ambassadors.

And so far our global awareness drive has resulted in $1.2million in donations and support from people across the world.

We knew that cooking with lumps of iron in their pots would work but people where turned off by the idea of cooking with bits of metal. That’s when we dug deeper and found the Cambodian cultural symbol for health and good luck, a fish, and by turning the metal lumps into Fish we witnessed a dramatic change in behavior.

Our team of volunteers went out to rural villages educating and demonstrating the benefits of cooking with the Iron Fish and we managed to turn skeptical families into proud ambassadors.

We are helping the local economy by employing local people to hade make the packaging for each fish and the raw materials are sourced locally and transformed in to each little fish making the project fully sustainable.

The project is ongoing and branching out to other markets faced with similar situations to Cambodia.

The results speak for themselves.

In just 9 months of cooking with the fish every day we have seen a 50% decrease in the incidence of clinical iron deficiency anemia, and an increase in users iron levels.

It has directly helped over 54,800 men, women and children in Cambodia.

The program is fully sustainable as the local community and resources are hired to produce the Lucky Iron Fish and it’s packaging.

It has raised over $1.2 million in donations and funding and has caught the attention of world leaders.

The lucky Iron fish is now a B-Corp certified company committed to leading the fight against iron deficiency around the world.

Our strategy was clear. We had to firstly convince and educate the local population on the benefits of cooking with the Lucky Iron Fish and secondly we had to drive support from governments and the rest of the world to raise funds and support.

We sent out teams of volunteers to the worst effected areas to educate and activate the communities on the health benefits of cooking with the iron fish. The response was overwhelming. Our targeted PR drive has generated $1.2million in donations and support.

In Cambodia, almost half the population is iron deficient. This preventable condition can lead to anemia, weakness, impaired cognitive ability, compressed physical development in children, and increased risk of illness. It can even lead to death.

The local diet of rice and fish has very little iron and iron supplements are too expensive for the local population.

The Lucky Iron Fish is a unique and direct solution to the problem and has the ability to change lives over night. We needed a direct way to get the community to use it.

In Cambodia, almost half the population is iron deficient. This preventable condition can lead to anemia, weakness, impaired cognitive ability, compressed physical development in children, and increased risk of illness. It can even lead to death.

The local diet of rice and fish has very little iron and iron supplements are too expensive for the local population.

The Lucky Iron Fish is a unique and direct solution to the problem and has the ability to change lives over night. We needed a direct way to get the community to use it.