Rice fortification "EMPOWER IAS"

Context: 

• One of the most cost-effective interventions to address the global challenge of micronutrient inadequacies is large-scale food fortification (LSFF). 

• In this backdrop, Prime Minister (PM) in his Independence Day speech, announced the fortification of all rice under the Public Distribution System (PDS) by 2023.

• It means compulsory rice fortification in safety-net feeding programmes like the ICDS, PDS and school mid-day meals. 

 

What is Fortification?

• FSSAI defines fortification as “deliberately increasing the content of essential micronutrients in a food so as to improve the nutritional quality of food and to provide public health benefit with minimal risk to health”.

 

About:

• According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), food fortification is defined as the practice of deliberately increasing the content of essential micronutrients so as to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and to provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health.
• It can be noted that biofortification differs from conventional food fortification in that biofortification aims to increase nutrient levels in crops during plant growth rather than through manual means during processing of the crops.

 

Types:

• • Targeted:
    • Food fortification can be done for foods widely consumed by the general population (mass fortification), to fortify foods designed for specific population subgroups, such as complementary foods for young children or rations for displaced populations.
  • Market-Driven:
    • To allow food manufacturers to voluntarily fortify foods available in the marketplace (market-driven fortification).
• Procedure:
  • The extent to which a national or regional food supply is fortified varies considerably. The concentration of just one micronutrient might be increased in a single foodstuff (e.g. the iodization of salt), or, at the other end of the scale, there might be a whole range of food–micronutrient combinations.

 

Government Interventions:

• • FSSAI Regulations:
    • In October 2016, FSSAI operationalized the Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulations, 2016 for fortifying staples namely Wheat Flour and Rice (with Iron, Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid), Milk and Edible Oil (with Vitamins A and D) and Double Fortified Salt (with Iodine and Iron) to reduce the high burden of micronutrient malnutrition in India.
  • Nutritional Strategy:
    • India’s National Nutritional strategy, 2017, had listed food fortification as one of the interventions to address anaemia, vitamin A and iodine deficiencies apart from supplementation and dietary diversification.
  • Milk Fortification Project:
    • The Milk Fortification Project was launched by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in collaboration with the World Bank and Tata Trusts, as a pilot project in 2017.
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Benefits of food fortification

• Addresses micronutrient inadequacies: The lack of education, incorrect eating practices, poor bioavailability of nutrients, and other environmental and financial constraints lead to nutrient-deprived diets. LSSF strategies can reduce deficiencies in low-income groups.
• Prevents Anemia: About half of the cases are caused due to iron deficiency. Consumption of rice fortified with iron can be extremely beneficial for the most vulnerable, especially pregnant women and young girls.
• Cost-effective: The Centre launched a scheme in 2019 for three years to introduce fortified rice through PDS in 15 districts, with a financial commitment of $23.43 million. The additional cost per kg is no more than ₹0.60-0.80. 
• Scientifically proven benefits: A case-controlled, quasi-experimental study, conducted over eight months in 2019, showed the effects of a multiple micronutrient fortified rice intervention among school children (6–12 years) through the midday meal programme in Gujarat. 
• Safe limits: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has set the level of fortification based on food consumption patterns, strong scientific evidence, and through a transparent consultative process, steered by Indian scientists in the food, nutrition and public-health domain. 
  • The standards only allow for 30-40% of Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) of micronutrients to be added to staples to meet the missing nutrients needs. 
  • Therefore, there is no question of iron overload when consuming fortified rice. 
• Nutritional revolution: India’s success in eliminating iodine deficiency was due to population-based interventions, which made universal production of edible salt fortified with iodine mandatory. Just like iodised salt, fortified rice too brings a nutritional revolution to India.

 

Fortification in India

Currently government is promoting fortification in following 5 food items:

• Rice, salt, edible oil, milk and wheat.

Rice: Department of Food & Public Distribution (DFPD) has been running a “Centrally Sponsored Pilot Scheme on Fortification of Rice & its distribution through Public Distribution System”. The scheme was initiated in 2019-20 for a three-year pilot run. This scheme will run till 2023 and rice will be supplied to the beneficiaries at the rate of Re 1 per kilogram.

• For rice fortification, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution is the nodal agency
• Wheat: The decision on fortification of wheat was announced in 2018 and is being implemented in 12 states under India’s flagship Poshan Abhiyaan to improve nutrition among children, adolescents, pregnant mothers and lactating mothers.
• Edible oil: Fortification of edible oil, too, was made compulsory across the country by FSSAI in 2018.
• Milk: Fortification of milk was started in 2017 under which the National Dairy Development Board of India (NDDB) is pushing companies to add vitamin D.