Food Fortification: The Advantages, Disadvantages and Lessons from Sight and Life Programs

Abstract

Deficiencies in one or more micronutrients such as iron, zinc, and vitamin A are widespread in low- and middle-income countries and compromise the physical and cognitive capacity of millions of people. Food fortification is a cost-effective strategy with demonstrated health, economic and social benefits. Despite ongoing debates globally and in some countries regarding the performance and safety of food fortification, the practice offers significant benefits across each of the main vehicles for food fortification (large-scale food fortification, biofortification and point-of-use or home fortification) ranging from reducing the prevalence of nutritional deficiencies and economic benefits to societies and economies. Using Sight and Life's global and national experiences in implementing food fortification efforts, we demonstrate how different programs in LMICs have successfully addressed challenges with food fortification and in doing so, find that these efforts are most successful when partnerships are formed that include the public and private sector as well as other parties that can provide support in key areas such as advocacy, management, capacity building, implementation and regulatory monitoring.

Keywords: biofortification; fortification; large-scale food fortification; micronutrient deficiencies; micronutrient supplements; micronutrients; partnerships; point-of-use fortification.

Figure 1

Potential benefits of food fortification across the life cycle. Source: Irizarry, L, Prost, MA, Murillo, D, Lopez de Romaña Daniel et al. 2017. Scaling Up Rice Fortification in Latin America and the Caribbean. World Food Programme and Sight and Life: 2017. WRA = Women of Reproductive Age.