Food Fortification Techniques
Introduction
Deficiencies in three micronutrients — iodine, iron, and vitamin A — are widespread affecting more than a third of the world 's population. Individuals and families suffer serious consequences including learning disabilities, impaired work capacity, illness, and death. They could waste as much as 5% of gross domestic product (GDP).
India 's life expectancy has more than doubled, and infant mortality, halved in the last fifty years. India is knocking the door for a permanent position in the United Nations and is one of the few atomic power countries in the world. However, paradoxically, we have the highest number of malnourished people in India and our child malnutrition rate is unacceptably high. With one sixth of the global population residing in India, one third of about two billion people suffering from vitamin and micronutrient deficit are in India.
The intake of micronutrients in daily diet is far from satisfactory and largely less than 50% RDA is consumed by over 70% of Indian population. The loss due to micronutrient deficiency costs India 1 percent of its GDP. This amounts to a loss of Rs. 27,720 crore per annum in terms of productivity, illness, increased health care costs and death.
Every day, more than 6,000 children below the age of five die in India. More than half of these deaths are caused by malnutrition-mainly the lack of Vitamin A, iron, iodine, zinc and folic acid. About 57% of preschoolers and their mothers have subclinical Vitamin A deficiency. Anemia prevalence among children under five years is 69% and among women it is over 55% in a recently concluded national study. With the scientific reality of anemia being a late result of iron deficiency, these data reflect an almost universal iron deficiency in Indian population.
The consequences of micronutrient malnutrition are unacceptably high morbidity and mortality. Vitamin A, iron and zinc deficiency when combined constitute the second largest risk factor in the global
Deficiencies in three micronutrients — iodine, iron, and vitamin A — are widespread affecting more than a third of the world 's population. Individuals and families suffer serious consequences including learning disabilities, impaired work capacity, illness, and death. They could waste as much as 5% of gross domestic product (GDP).
India 's life expectancy has more than doubled, and infant mortality, halved in the last fifty years. India is knocking the door for a permanent position in the United Nations and is one of the few atomic power countries in the world. However, paradoxically, we have the highest number of malnourished people in India and our child malnutrition rate is unacceptably high. With one sixth of the global population residing in India, one third of about two billion people suffering from vitamin and micronutrient deficit are in India.
The intake of micronutrients in daily diet is far from satisfactory and largely less than 50% RDA is consumed by over 70% of Indian population. The loss due to micronutrient deficiency costs India 1 percent of its GDP. This amounts to a loss of Rs. 27,720 crore per annum in terms of productivity, illness, increased health care costs and death.
Every day, more than 6,000 children below the age of five die in India. More than half of these deaths are caused by malnutrition-mainly the lack of Vitamin A, iron, iodine, zinc and folic acid. About 57% of preschoolers and their mothers have subclinical Vitamin A deficiency. Anemia prevalence among children under five years is 69% and among women it is over 55% in a recently concluded national study. With the scientific reality of anemia being a late result of iron deficiency, these data reflect an almost universal iron deficiency in Indian population.
The consequences of micronutrient malnutrition are unacceptably high morbidity and mortality. Vitamin A, iron and zinc deficiency when combined constitute the second largest risk factor in the global
References: Nestel, P. 1993. Food fortification in developing countries. United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Washington, DC, USA.