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Food fortification is the addition of micronutrients (essential trace elements and vitamins) to food products. Food enrichment specifically means adding back nutrients lost during food processing, while fortification includes adding nutrients not naturally present. [ 1 ]
Food fortification is the process of adding micronutrients (essential trace elements and vitamins) to food as a public health policy which aims to reduce the number of people with dietary deficiencies within a population. Staple foods of a region can lack particular nutrients due to the soil of the region or from inherent inadequacy of a normal ...
For example, vitamin A enhanced foods are often dark yellow or orange in color – this for example is problematic for many in Africa, where white maize is eaten by humans and yellow maize is negatively associated with animal feed or food aid, [14] [18] or where white-fleshed sweet potato is preferred to its moister, orange-fleshed counterpart. [5]
Fortification of staple foods may improve serum zinc levels in the population. Other effects such as improving zinc deficiency, children's growth, cognition, work capacity of adults, or blood indicators are unknown. [16] Experiments show that soil and foliar application of zinc fertilizer can effectively reduce the phytate zinc ratio in grain.
Project Healthy Children (PHC) is a nonprofit organization based in Westborough that works closely with governments in developing countries to provide technical assistance for supporting the design and implementation of food fortification programs in developing countries.
Fortification of staple foods (cereals, flour, sugar, salt) to deliver micronutrients to children on a large scale is probably the most sustainable and affordable option, even though commitment from governments and the food industry is needed. [18] Developed nations fortify several foods with various micronutrients. [19]
In the US, mandatory fortification of enriched breads, cereals, flours, corn meal, pastas, rice, and other grain products began in January 1998. As of 2023, 140 countries require food fortification with one or more vitamins, [32] with folate required in 69 countries. The most commonly fortified food is wheat flour, followed by maize flour and rice.
Since 2002, GAIN has supported the roll-out fortification in approximately 30 low and middle-income countries as an approach to help decrease malnutrition. [10] As a result, 14 countries mandated Large Scale Food Fortification. [11] The GAIN Premix Facility project assists countries in procure high-quality, low-cost mineral and vitamin premix. [12]