Food Fortification
Food fortification is the practice of adding essential vitamins and minerals to food during processing to improve its nutritional quality and overall health benefits. It is a safe and cost-effective approach to addressing micronutrient deficiencies, particularly in populations where diets lack essential nutrients due to limited access to diverse food sources or deficiencies in the staple foods themselves. Impacts of food fortifications: Recent studies published in the medical journal Lancet show that both anaemia and Vitamin A deficiencies are over diagnosed. Fortified foods and supplements can pose specific risks for people who are taking prescription medications, including decreased absorption of other micro nutrients, treatment failure, and increased mortality risk. Undernourishment in India is caused by monotonous cereal-based diets. Adding one or two synthetic chemical vitamins and minerals will not solve the larger problem, and in undernourished populations can lead to toxicity. eg.…
