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Food Fortification in India: Enriching Foods, Enriching Lives
Food Fortification in India: Enriching Foods, Enriching Lives
Presentation by:
Deepti Gulati, Senior Associate,
GAIN: Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition
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Sixty-seven Years Ago ……..
When India became independent, we
faced two major problems, with grave Our Constitutional
nutritional impact: Obligation:
threat of famine and low agricultural Access to good nutrition and
production and health is a fundamental
lack of an appropriate food distribution human right and a
system cornerstone that defines
health of all
These were compounded by:
Article 47 of our Constitution
low dietary intake because of poverty
reflects our commitment. It
and low purchasing power;
states:
high prevalence of infections due to poor “The State shall regard the
access to safe water, sanitation & health raising of the level of
care; nutrition and the standard of
poor utilization of available facilities due living of its people and the
to low literacy and lack of awareness improvement of public
RESULT: Population suffered from CED health as among its primary
and micronutrient malnutrition duties …….”
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Lets See How Are We Faring Today……
This cannot
Ever-married be counted
men anaemic (15-49 yrs)as%our Demographic
24 25 Dividend
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Children age 12-35 months who received 64 45 60
atleast 1 dose of vitamin A (%) CES -2009
Mothers who consumed IFA for 90 days or 22 12 13
more when they were pregnant with
their last child (%): NFHS – 3
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Micronutrient Malnutrition: 3 Options to Control
Supplementation Dietary Diversification Food Fortification
Two high-doses of Vit A per Food prices spiralling and High consumption of Staples
year hence mostly cereals and Great hope for long-term
Iron syrup and capsules tubers. Low in vegetables, control of MND.
A safe and efficient strategy fruits and lentils Potential to reach all income
for eliminating VAD & Non-anima sources comprise groups through basic food
Anaemia for improving child > 80% of intake. items with minimal changes
survival. Implementation and Scaling in eating habits.
up difficult,
Copenhagen
Consensus
US $347 million
investment in
vitamins and US $5 billion
minerals in savings from
avoided deaths,
improved earnings
and reduced
healthcare spending
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Why Fortify Staples in Rajasthan and Madhya
Pradesh
Consumption Patterns of Food (day/capita)*
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Large-scale food fortification projects in
Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
Project Logical Framework
Input Process Output Outcomes Impact
1. Equipment 1. Partnership 1. Availability 1. Improved Reduction in
2. Premix 2. Production, 2. Acceptability anaemia & anaemia &
3. Financial 3. Advocacy 3. Accessibility vitamin A vitamin A status
support 4. Marketing 4. Affordability status in the population
4. Technical 5. M&E 5. Awareness & 2. Increased and the
support 6. Training consumption wheat flour attendant health
5. Policy 7. QAQC of fortified fortification benefits
advocacy foods by industry
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Policy Advocacy Leading to Regulatory
Support for Fortification
India’s 10th, 11th and 12th Five Year Plans recommend food fortification
as important strategy to tackle micronutrient malnutrition
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How Micronutrients Impact Our Quality of Life
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Foods and Channels Used for Fortification
Fortified Foods
through Open market
ICDS Midday Meal
programme PDS Wheat flour
Children 3-6 yrs: Rice
Fortified wheat Fortified wheat Fortified wheat
flour/fortified rice/ Milk
flour/fortified rice/ flour in place of/
fortified soyadal fortified soyadal conjunction with Oil
analogue, iodized analogue, iodized grains, iodized
salt and fortified oil salt and fortified oil salt & fortified oil Salt
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Achievements: Projects have good will, support and recognition from
Industry, State Govt. Counterparts and the Polity
Avg. Reach Samples
External
Vehicle Production (people in tested
pass rate
(MT)/ Year millions) (monthly)
Fortified Wheat Flour in
90,000 1.5 33 85%
Rajasthan (direct support)
Fortified Wheat Flour in Not Not
840,000 9.8
Rajasthan (Leverage) available available
Fortified Oil in Rajasthan 246,000 38.5 12 100%
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Lessons Learnt and Way Forward…..
1. Staple Food Fortification is do-able and very cost-effective
2. Food fortification does not lead to organoleptic changes and hence
widely acceptable
3. Processing is simple and does not require expensive equipment.
Food industry can thus do it at very low investment
4. Industry is responsible and ensures appropriate fortification and
Staple
takesFood Fortification
pride in isnutritional
contributing to an evidence based strategy and
improvement
a practical solution which needs to be scaled up in India ….
WAY FORWARD
What we need
Strengthen is a strong
regulatory politicaltowill
monitoring andthe
ensure policy support
quality and
safety of fortified foods
Make it mandatory to fortify oil and milk with vitamin A and D
Promote a national logo to indicate that the food is fortified…. It
could be a yellow star and promoted as we promote red / green
dots for vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods
Create awareness about the goodness of fortified foods.
Nutrition is a cross-cutting issue and coordinated efforts of many
sectors are required ….. We need to join hands and not work at
cross-purpose
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Let us not shy away from our collective responsibility of
providing good health and improved quality of life to all !
Lets Eat Right … Lets Eat Fortified
Thank you !!
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