Hidden hunger—the chronic lack of essential minerals and vitamins—afflicts two billion people in the world and leads to stunted growth, cognitive impairment, compromised immune systems, and potentially death. For decades, Venkatesh Mannar has led a global initiative to battle the problem, and he has been remarkably successful at convincing governments, industry, and non-governmental organizations around the world that the solution is as simple as adding a pinch of salt. Iodized salt.

Born in Chennai, India, in 1949, Mannar studied chemical engineering in the United States and then returned home to work in the family’s salt harvesting business—as his ancestors had done for five generations. In the early 1990s, he became involved in studies conducted by UNICEF and the World Health Organization that looked at adding iodine and iron to salt as a way of reducing mental impairment. He moved to Canada with his wife and two sons in 1990, and began working as president of a small Ottawa-based non-profit organization called Micronutrient Initiative, which today has an annual budget of $60 million, a staff of 150, and programs that reach almost 500 million people in 75 countries.

Adding nutrients to salt is a challenging task—taste, texture, colour, and the manufacturing process are all affected. One of Mannar’s singular contributions was to develop technologies that allowed iodine to be added. This is still regarded as one of the most successful public health campaigns in recent memory. Mannar has also been working on adding other nutrients such as iron, folic acid, vitamin B12, and zinc to salt and other foods.

During his nineteen-year tenure as president of Micronutrient Initiative, Mannar led the efforts to deliver half a billion vitamin A capsules from Canada every year to young children in seventy countries to improve their immunity levels and odds of survival. Another of Mannar’s projects was to deliver oral rehydration salts and zinc supplements to children weakened by diarrhea—both to treat it and to prevent recurrences. Since diarrhea kills one million children every year, invariably in less developed countries where access to clean water is difficult, this was an extraordinary initiative.

Professor Levente Diosady, who directs the Food Engineering program at the University of Toronto (where Venkatesh is an adjunct professor), says Mannar “has an incredible drive to help the poor. He travels tirelessly. He never gives up. He is a very persuasive, charming man.”

Venkatesh Mannar has spent many years educating world leaders on the scale of malnutrition worldwide. “The solutions,” he says, “are very cost-effective—if you invest a dollar in fortification, you get back $30 to $40 in terms of improved human health, better productivity, and mental and physical development in children.” The beauty of the program lies in its simplicity and low cost.

Kul Gautam, former deputy executive director with UNICEF, says, “Mannar is one of those relatively little known and unsung heroes of public health and nutrition.”

Although Mannar has retired from the Micronutrient Initiative, he remains active, writing books and research papers and serving as a visiting professor at the University of Toronto and Cornell University.