Nutrient enrichment (food)

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Nutrient fortification is the fortification of foods with micronutrients .

aims

According to the World Health Organization, the goals of nutrient fortification are :

  • Preventing or minimizing the risk of micronutrient deficiencies occurring in a population or population group
  • Contributing to the alleviation of micronutrient deficiencies in a population or population group
  • Improvement of a nutritional status that is or can become suboptimal due to nutritional behavior
  • Additional benefits to improve health

to form

Nutrient enrichment can be divided into

  • Mass enrichment: compulsory and targeted at the general population.
  • Targeted enrichment: compulsory or voluntary, geared towards specific groups.
  • Market-based enrichment: voluntary and aimed either at the general population or specific groups.
  • other forms

Mass enrichment

Mass fortification involves adding one or more micronutrients to common and heavily consumed foods, such as cereals or milk . This enrichment is usually initiated and regulated by the state. Mass fortification is the best option when the majority of the population is facing unacceptable deficiency. Mass enrichment can also be useful if there is no deficiency but benefits can be expected from the enrichment. One example is the fortification of wheat flour with folic acid , established in Canada , the United States, and many Latin American states , to reduce the risk of birth defects .

Targeted enrichment

Targeted fortification is the process of fortifying foods that are consumed by certain population groups in order to increase their supply. Examples are the distribution of fortified foods to school children through school programs, or the supply of fortified foods to refugees through the World Food Program .

Market-based enrichment

Companies in the food industry are also allowed to fortify food within the legally stipulated framework. This form of enrichment is relatively more widespread in industrialized countries than in developing countries. Fortified foods are a substantial source of micronutrients such as iron and vitamin A and vitamin D in the European Union .

With the projected increase in market-based fortification in developing countries, there are some concerns. First, fortified foods could worsen eating habits; B. Increase the consumption of sugar and decrease fiber . Second, a lack of regulation in developing countries could lead to an oversupply of individual micronutrients.

Other forms

In some countries, methods are being developed and tested in which food is fortified at the household level and thus resembles supplementation . These include, for example, dissolvable tablets, powders and spreads . While these methods are expensive compared to bulk fortification, they can be more targeted to specific groups, such as young children. Mass enrichment is also not always possible.

The Biofortification is the fortification of staple foods using plant breeding . Examples are cereals with a high iron or beta-carotene content .

See also

literature

  • David Bishai, Ritu Nalubola: The History of Food Fortification in the United States: Its Relevance for Current Fortification Efforts in Developing Countries. In: Economic Development and Cultural Change. 51 (1) 2002, pp. 37-53.
  • Lindsay Allen, Bruno de Benoist, Omar Dary, Richard Hurrell (Eds.): Guidelines on Food Fortification with Micronutrients. (PDF; 3.4 MB) World Health Organization, 2006, ISBN 92-4159401-2 .