Food fortification on the way

A scheme to be launched in October will mean that for just a few extra cents on the price of a bag of maize meal or a loaf, South African children can receive the vitamins and nutrients they need to help them grow up healthy. South Africa's National Food Fortification Programme, led by the Department of Health, has been a collaborative effort between the government, consumer groups, academics and the milling and baking industry. The initiative will add essential vitamin A, vitamin B6, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, iron, zinc and folic acid to most commercially produced wheat flour and maize meal. The cost of the fortification process will add approximately one cent to the price of a loaf and two cents per kilogramme to maize meal. According to a Ministry of Health survey, 81 percent of consumers said they were in favour of fortification and 88 percent would buy foods with added vitamins. Consumer testing found there was no difference in the taste or colour of fortified food. Fifty percent of South African households have experienced hunger, a national survey found in 1999. [For the full report: www.sahealthinfo.org] It is not just the limited quantity of food consumed that is the problem, but also its quality. The survey found that 50 percent of children had an intake of less than half the recommended daily level of a number of important nutrients. Micronutrient deficiency can lead to stunting, blindness and mental retardation. More than 20 percent of South African children are vitamin A deficient, the leading cause of preventable blindness. "Micronutrient deficiency also has many invisible economic effects that are widely underestimated, because they sap the energy of working-age people and hurt the learning ability of children, causing billions of dollars in lost productivity in developing countries, who can least afford it," Jay Naidoo, chairperson of the Development Bank of South Africa was quoted as saying in a statement last month by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). "Vitamins and minerals provide one important key to poverty reduction and economic improvement in the developing world," added Naidoo, who is also the chairperson of GAIN. "The quantity and quality of food consumed by South African children is not enough. We know there is a high prevalence of micronutrient deficiency and we committed ourselves to do something about it," Maude de Hoop, assistant director in the Department of Health, told IRIN. Based on dietary patterns, the country's two staples - bread and maize - were chosen for fortification, with a special logo clearly displayed on the packaging. Only bread baked from cake flour and whole-wheat bread will be exempt from the supplementation programme. A child of four years who consumes 250 grams of cooked fortified maize meal porridge will receive 25 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin A. A 25-year-old woman who consumes 160 grams of bread (about four slices) will obtain approximately 27 percent of the RDA for folic acid - a vital chemical for pregnant women - the on-line magazine Science Africa noted. "While the role of food fortification is not to provide 100 percent of RDA through consumption through one single food, the fortified maize will go along way to achieve vitamin A sufficiency especially when combined with vitamin A from other sources," an article in the July edition of the webzine said. South Africa's Chamber of Millers were closely involved in drawing up the fortification regulations. Their members account for 85 percent of maize meal and 97 percent of wheat flour milled in the country, De Hoop said. The remaining 15 percent of maize meal is mostly produced by small-scale seasonal millers in the rural areas. Both the ministry of health and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) are keen to provide training and start-up loans to small millers to allow them to purchase and use the fortification mix. Compliance with the regulations on food enrichment will be policed by DTI environmental health inspectors. All fortification mix suppliers are required to register with the department of health to ensure quality control. As of yet, two applications have been received, but "it's still early days", said De Hoop.