India is considering compulsory fortification of rice from 2024 as a significant percentage of the population continues to suffer from malnutrition and anaemia.
The government is likely to announce a policy to help industry ramp up production of rice fortified with iron, folic acid and Vitamin B12.
Food Fortification
Fortification is the practice of deliberately increasing the content of an essential micronutrient, i.e. vitamins and minerals (including trace elements) in a food, so as to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health.
For example, adding iodine and iron to edible salt.
What is the need for Fortification in India?
Malnutrition is the primary reason behind 69 per cent of deaths of children below the age of five in India, according to a UNICEF’s The State of the World’s Children 2019 report.
The report further states that every second child in India, under five years of age, is affected by some form of malnutrition.
Malnutrition prevents brain development, body growth, immune systems from working effectively, and increases lifelong risk of disease and disability.
India is ranked at 103 out of 119 countries on Global Hunger Index, 2017.
Over 70 percent of India’s population still consumes less than 50 percent of RDA for micro-nutrients.
One third of India’s population is suffering from vitamin and micro-nutrient deficiencies globally, are in India.
The control of micronutrient deficiencies is an essential part of the overall effort to fight hunger and malnutrition.
India has been implementing a variety of strategies to address anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies which include iron-folic acid supplementation, vitamin A supplementation, nutrition health education to encourage dietary diversity, and others. However, the anaemia levels continue to be high.
This, therefore, requires the introduction of strategies such as food fortification which are evidence based, tried and tested in other parts of the world.
Rice Fortification
Rice is a staple consumed regularly in the preparation of many common local dishes.
Micronutrient deficiencies of public health significance are widespread in most countries consuming high levels of rice; thus rice fortification has the potential to help aid vulnerable populations.
Rice kernels can be fortified with several micronutrients, such as iron, folic acid and other B-complex vitamins, vitamin A and zinc.
Similarly, other vital micronutrients can be added to staples like wheat flour, oil, and milk.
The reason behind choosing staple items is to reach a larger population.