About

Mduduzi Mbuya is associated with the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research at Cornell University. The center assists faculty in developing translational research projects, providing support such as proposal preparation, training, technical support, and facilitating collaborative relationships. The center also offers workshops, summer institutes, and talks on current research topics related to translational research. While specific details about Mduduzi Mbuya's individual research focus or background are not provided in the page text, his affiliation with the center indicates involvement in research that aims to translate scientific findings into practical applications, particularly in the context of youth development, community neuroscience, and related fields.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Environmental health
• Internal medicine
• Psychology
• Business
• Geography
• Computer Science
• Biology
• Economics
• Pediatrics
• Ecology
• Demography
• Economic growth
• Marketing

Selected publications

• Nutritional indices and fatty acid profiles of retail soybean and palm oils in Bangladesh

  Academia Nutrition and Dietetics · 2026-03-13

  articleOpen access

  Introduction: Edible oils are a vital source of dietary fat. In populations relying on plant-based cooking oils, oil quality is an important determinant of cardiovascular health. This study aimed to quantify deviations in fatty acid (FA) composition relative to international standards and to assess the overall nutritional quality of nationally representative retail soybean oil (SBO) and palm oil (PO) samples in Bangladesh.

  PublisherDOI

• Impact of large-scale food fortification programmes on micronutrient inadequacies and their implementation costs: a modelling analysis

  The Lancet Global Health · 2026-03-26

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Micronutrient inadequacies are estimated to affect billions of people worldwide, yet these estimates exclude fortification. There are no global estimates of the impact of current fortification programmes on micronutrient inadequacies. We aimed to estimate how improving existing programmes or establishing new ones affects the prevalence of micronutrient inadequacies and to estimate their global costs. METHODS: In this modelling study, we estimated the prevalence of inadequate intakes of 13 micronutrients across 185 countries by integrating global modelled dietary intake data from the Global Dietary Database, with fortification programme parameters from the Global Fortification Data Exchange. We modelled six scenarios: no fortification, current fortification, improved compliance, aligned standards, aligned standards with improved compliance, and aligned standards with improved compliance and expanded coverage. Implementation costs were calculated as the sum of premix, industry-related, and government costs across five fortified foods: wheat flour, maize flour, oil, rice, and salt. FINDINGS: Compared with no fortification, current fortification programmes prevent 7·0 billion inadequate person-nutrient intakes annually at a global cost of $1·06 billion (mean of $0·18 [SD 0·28] per person, 2021 US$, across the five fortified foods), with iodine fortification alone preventing 3·3 billion inadequacies. Despite current fortification, 38·6 billion inadequate intakes persist. Improving compliance would prevent 13·1 billion inadequacies at a global cost of $3·48 billion annually (mean $0·23 [SD 0·33] per person). Aligning standards and improving compliance would prevent 17·2 billion inadequacies at $6·56 billion annually (mean $0·63 [SD 0·53] per person). Aligning standards, improving compliance, and expanding coverage would prevent 24·7 billion inadequacies at $9·19 billion annually (mean $1·15 [SD 0·58] per person), although 20·9 billion inadequacies would remain. INTERPRETATION: Fortification is a cost-effective intervention that greatly reduces micronutrient inadequacies, particularly for iodine and iron. Improving compliance offers immediate gains. Aligning with international guidelines and expanding programmes could triple their effects but cannot eliminate all inadequacies, underscoring the importance of complementary approaches to improve diet quality. FUNDING: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Gates Foundation.

  PublisherDOI

• Agricultural research approaches for crops that nourish by improving nutrition, soil health, resilience and prosperity

  Nature Food · 2025-11-26 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Digital tools and technologies used in food fortification: A scoping review

  Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2025-01-14 · 3 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior author

  Food fortification (i.e., industrial fortification and biofortification) increases the micronutrient content of foods to improve population nutrition. Implementing effective fortification programs requires the generation and use of data to inform decision making. The use of digital tools and technologies (DTTs) for such purposes in broader nutrition programs is growing; however, there is limited consolidation of those used in fortification. This scoping review aimed to identify and describe DTTs used in fortification programs. We searched peer-reviewed and gray literature and conducted 17 stakeholder surveys. We then mapped DTTs identified against the fortification and nutrition data value chains. Of 11,741 articles identified, 158 met the inclusion criteria. From the included articles and stakeholder surveys, 125 DTTs were identified across three categories: software and tooling (n = 58), data and information lifecycle (n = 50), and hardware and infrastructure (n = 17). Gaps were identified in processing, post-harvest storage, aggregation, and transport nodes of the fortification value chain, and data prioritization, translation/dissemination, and decision-making nodes of the nutrition data value chain. DTTs have the potential to address challenges faced by fortification stakeholders to generate and use data to improve program decision making and nutritional impact. Further work is needed to standardize terminology, identify relevant DTTs from other sectors, and explore stakeholder needs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Impact of Large-Scale Food Fortification Programs on Micronutrient Inadequacies and Their Implementation Costs: A Modelling Analysis

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Potential Impact of Large‐Scale Food Fortification in Ethiopia: Coverage and Knowledge of Fortifiable Foods

  Maternal and Child Nutrition · 2025-06-10 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Large-scale food fortification (LSFF) is an effective public health measure because it may reach a large number of populations at risk using current food delivery systems. The objective of the study was to assess coverage and consumption of fortifiable foods at the household level and to assess the potential impact of LSFF on child outcomes (stunting and survival) in Ethiopia. Cross-sectional survey data on sociodemographic characteristics, dietary intake, and fortifiable food consumption were collected at the household level among 15,812 randomly selected households participating in the 2021-2024 National Food and Nutrition Strategy Baseline Survey at national and subnational levels. We modeled the impact of LSFF on child survival and stunting using the LiST approach. The overall national coverage of fortifiable edible oil, wheat flour, and salt was 89%, 29%, and 98%, respectively. Wealth was a significant predictor of the use of all fortifiable products (p < 0.001). Edible oil consumption varied significantly by education (p < 0.001), while wheat consumption varied by residence and wealth. Knowledge of fortification varied across residence, wealth, and education, highlighting a limitation in promoting current programs for fortified products. The LiST model estimates that in 2023, fortifying wheat flour with folate and zinc could save 161 and 1499 child lives, and prevent 302 and 406 cases of stunting, respectively. Increasing coverage by 10% annually from 2024 to 2029 could double these benefits. Zinc is effective at reducing both childhood deaths and stunting by improving child health in Ethiopia. Whereas folic acid is more effective at averting stunting. Still, fortification of wheat flour will have limited influence due to its low consumption, and its impact is likely to be limited to urban and peri-urban settings. Alternative food vehicles or interventions that can reach rural areas may be needed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• <i>Bifidobacterium longum</i> modifies a nutritional intervention for stunting in Zimbabwean infants

  medRxiv · 2024-01-20

  preprintOpen access

  Summary Child stunting is an indicator of chronic undernutrition and reduced human capital. Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) has been widely tested to reduce stunting, but has modest effects. The infant intestinal microbiome may contribute to stunting, and is partly shaped by mother and infant histo-blood group antigens (HBGA). We investigated whether mother-infant fucosyltransferase status, which governs HBGA, and the infant gut microbiome modified the impact of SQ-LNS on stunting at age 18 months among Zimbabwean infants in the SHINE Trial ( NCT01824940 ). We found that mother-infant fucosyltransferase discordance and Bifidobacterium longum modified SQ-LNS efficacy. Infant age-related microbiome shifts in B. longum subspecies dominance from infantis , a proficient human milk oligosaccharide utilizer, to suis or longum , proficient plant-polysaccharide utilizers, were partly influenced by discordance in mother-infant FUT2+/FUT3-phenotype, suggesting that a “younger” microbiome at initiation of SQ-LNS reduces its benefits on stunting in areas with a high prevalence of linear growth restriction.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Linking Food Supply and Population Survey Data To Improve Tracking of Micro-Nutrient Intakes From Fortified Foods in Target Populations: A New Method

  Current Developments in Nutrition · 2024-06-29

  articleOpen access

  guidance for application of the Nova classification system to data obtained from dietary records and analyzed using Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) has not been established.The objective of this study is to detail methods to determine UPF intake within clinical trials using dietary records and NDSR.Methods: Individuals (n165) enrolled in a behavioral weight loss intervention completed 7-day dietary records at months 0, 3, 6, and 12. Records were entered into NDSR by trained nutrition personnel and food-level data exported.All unique food items across all participants and time points were assigned to a Nova group (unprocessed or minimally processed, processed culinary ingredients, processed, or ultra-processed) based on food description.Absence of descriptive data regarding processing resulted in opting for the lesser degree of processing (e.g., culinary preparation).For a subset of foods from the first two enrolled cohorts, consensus was achieved after independent coding and discussion with a team of three PhD-trained registered dietitians.Nova groups for each food were compared to a dataset from a published trial.Interrater reliability was assessed by percent concordance between datasets and Cohen's coefficient.Discrepancies were used to identify foods for disaggregation into component ingredients or that could be assigned to alternative groups for sensitivity analyses.Results: All unique foods (n3481) were assigned Nova groupings: unprocessed or minimally processed foods (18%), processed culinary ingredients (1%), processed foods (13%), and ultraprocessed foods (68%).Of these, 1486 foods were in the external dataset, with 91% concordance ( 0.84) in Nova groupings.Mixed dishes and those missing adequate descriptors (n512) were identified as targets for disaggregation and/or sensitivity analyses.Conclusions: Despite good agreement, there remains discordance between trained researchers in the identification and categorization of foods according to the Nova classification system, particularly for complex foods and mixed dishes, suggesting clear, stepwise methodology is needed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Monitoring Biofortification Program Performance and Potential for Impact: Indicators, Methods, and Learnings from the Commercialization of Biofortified Crops Program in Six Countries across Africa and Asia

  Current Developments in Nutrition · 2024-10-30 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Background: Biofortification of staple crops is a food-based strategy to reduce the high global burden of micronutrient deficiencies. Monitoring program performance is essential to ensure biofortification programs have high potential for impact; however, few indicators and methods for doing so are publicly available. Objective: We documented the set of standardized indicators and methods used to monitor the Commercialization of Biofortified Crops (CBC) program and reviewed their strengths and limitations. Methods: Following the CBC program impact pathway, we identified and defined a set of indicators and corresponding methods. Country-level implementation teams contextualized and operationalized them to monitor 9 country-crop programs (i.e., high iron beans in Kenya and Tanzania, iron pearl millet in India, vitamin A maize in Nigeria and Tanzania, vitamin A cassava in Nigeria, zinc wheat in Pakistan and India, and zinc rice in Bangladesh) from 2020 to 2022. Results: Twenty indicators were defined across domains of seed supply, production, availability, awareness, capacity development, advocacy, and consumption of biofortified foods. Data collection methods included external and internal document review, farmer household surveys, rapid market assessments, and modeling. The strengths of these methods were that they were rapid to conduct, low cost, and simple to use. For some methods, the limitations were the potentially reduced accuracy of some results due to the use of external data sources or secondary data inputs and unavailability of data. Conclusions: The indicators and methods used in the CBC program are practical and cost effective for monitoring the implementation of biofortification programs because they generate the range of information necessary to understand how effectively a program is delivered and bolster plausibility arguments for attributing observed impacts to program activities. Further testing is needed to confirm their generalizability when applied to different contexts and paired with impact evaluations with the aim of producing publicly available global guidance documents.

  PublisherDOI

• Regenerative aquatic foods can be a win–win for human and planetary health

  Nature Food · 2024-09-18 · 5 citations

  letter
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jean H. Humphrey

  Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research

  158 shared

• Andrew J. Prendergast

  Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research

  136 shared

• Laura E. Smith

  University of Tennessee at Knoxville

  68 shared

• Rebecca J. Stoltzfus

  63 shared

• Robert Ntozini

  Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research

  52 shared

• Bernard Chasekwa

  48 shared

• Florence D. Majo

  Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research

  42 shared

• Kuda Mutasa

  Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research

  42 shared