To address micro nutrient deficiencies the government has taken many steps which include promotion of food fortification:
- Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulations, 2016: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has operationalised on October 16, 2016, the draft Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulations, 2016 that, inter-alia, includes provisions regarding standards for fortification of food articles namely wheat flour, rice, milk, edible oil and salt with vitamins and minerals. At present, all the major oil producers in the country are voluntarily fortifying at least one brand in their product portfolios.
- The draft Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Food) Regulations, 2016 stipulate that the FSSAI may from time to time mandate fortification of any food article specified under the regulations on the directions of the Government of India or on the recommendations of the States/UTs and in consultation with stakeholders.
- Under Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011, sale of only iodized salt is permitted for direct human consumption. Further, Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 provide that Vanaspati shall contain synthetic Vitamin A.
- Other initiatives: Besides, Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Human Resource Development have advised the use of double fortified salt (iron and iodine), wheat flour (with iron, folic acid and vitamin B-12) and edible oil with (vitamin A and D) under their Schemes i.e. Integrated Child Development Scheme and Mid-day Meal Scheme .
- Food Fortification Resource Centre: FSSAI has established Food Fortification Resource Centre (FFRC) in collaboration with Tata Trusts and various International NGOs working in the field of nutrition as a resource centre to promote large-scale fortification of food and to nudge & facilitate food businesses to adopt fortification as a norm.
About Food Fortification
- Definition: According to the FSSAI, Fortification is the addition of key vitamins and minerals such as Iron, Iodine, Zinc, Vitamins A & D to staple foods such as rice, wheat, oil, milk and salt to improve their nutritional content. These nutrients may or may not have been originally present in the food before processing or may have been lost during processing.
- Need of Food Fortification: Deficiency of micronutrients or micronutrient malnutrition, also known as ?hidden hunger?, is a serious health risk. Access to safe and nutritious food is a must and sometimes due to lack of consumption of a balanced diet, lack variety in the diet or unavailability of foodone does not get adequate micronutrients. Often, there is considerable loss of nutrients during the processing of food as well. One of the strategies to address this problem is fortification of food. This method complements other ways to improve nutrition such as such as diversification of diet and supplementation of food.
- India has a very high burden of micronutrient deficiencies caused by Vitamin A, Iodine, Iron and Folic Acid leading to Night Blindness, Goitre, Anaemia and various birth defects. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) -4:
- 58.4 percent of children (6-59 months) are anaemic
- 53.1 percent women in the reproductive age group are anaemic
- 35.7 percent of children under 5 are underweight
- Fortification is a globally proven intervention to address the much prevalent micronutrient deficiencies in the population.
- Benefits of Fortification: Food Fortification has a high benefit-to-cost ratio. The Copenhagen Consensus estimates that every 1 Rupee spent on fortification results in 9 Rupees in benefits to the economy. It requires an initial investment to purchase both the equipment and the vitamin and mineral premix, but the overall costs of fortification are extremely low. Even when all program costs are passed on to consumers, the price increase is approximately by 1-2%, which is less than the normal price variation. Following are the various benefits of fortification of foods:
- Nutrientsare added to staple foods since they are widely consumed. Thus, this is an excellent method to improve the health of a large section of the population, all at once.
- It is a safe method of improving nutrition among people. The addition of micronutrients to food does not pose a health risk to people. The quantity added is small and well under the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) and are well regulated as per prescribed standards for safe consumption.
- It is a cost-effective intervention and does not require any changes in eating patterns or food habits of people. It is a socio-culturally acceptable way to deliver nutrients to people.
- It does not alter the characteristics of the food like the taste, aroma or the texture of the food. (Source: FASSAI)
About Food Fortification Resource Centre (FFRC)
- The Food Fortification Resource Centre is a Resource and Support Centre to promote large-scale fortification of food across India. It is a resource hub which provides information and inputs on standards and food safety, technology and processes, premix and equipment procurement and manufacture, quality assurance and quality control for fortification of foods.FFRC’s approach is to motivate, nudge and facilitate the food industry to adopt Food Fortification as a norm.
- This initiative follows the Joint Declaration by all stakeholders to fight micronutrient malnutrition through fortification of food at the National Summit for Fortification of Food, held on October 16-17, 2016 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi after which 5 national level workshops were held to build consensus amongst the country. The initiative is being headed by a team of Coordinators at the Centre who are driving the effort nationwide.
