Forcing Fortification

Yesterday the cabinet approved distribution of fortified grains in PDS.

Mass fortification of cereals with iron is akin to medicating an entire nation. Ideally, iron is best used as a supplement under medical supervision to targeted groups such as pregnant women.

Only one in four men in India is estimated to be anaemic and it makes little sense to push iron into their diets... iron from fortified food will put men at a higher risk of diabetes

The single-nutrient focus of fortification pushes consumers to eat more of the same food, while a diversified diet mandates exactly the opposite—rely on a variety of food items to ensure the intake of the required essential nutrients.

The hope that nutritional indicators will improve by adding iron to rice is making a mockery of science… the solution lies in food diversity and addressing the question as to why a large number of people are unable to afford a diversified diet.

Do benefits of fortification outweigh risks? “For product manufacturers, the answer is an unequivocal yes," Marion Nestle wrote.. “They need only look at the greatly increased sales of calcium-fortified juices and fruit drinks to women (who are) concerned about osteoporosis

Marion Nestle (in her book Food Politics) terms packaged food with added nutrients as “techno-food", adding, because they offer food cos a genuine opportunity to promote sales, cos go to extraordinary lengths to protect the marketing environment for such products.

Sayantan Bera has put together these researched points. We need a survey on this. Should fortified food which benefits select food companies be pushed on people like this?

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