THE ROLE OF FOOD FORTIFICATION TO COVER DAILY NUTRIENTS NEED: GLOBAL EXPERIENCE

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that despite of prompt advancements in the reducing undernutrition, two billion people suffer micronutrient deficiencies globally.Micronutrient deficiency, also known as hidden hunger, is a public health concern, not just because of its high prevalence rate, but also because micronutrient deficiency can contribute to high rates of many diseases. It has been estimated that vitamin and mineral deficiencies account for about 7.3% of the global burden of disease, and are among the 15 leading causes of the global disease burden. The world calls for exploration of causes of this persisting problem and development of practical strategies for its reduction to ensure the nutrition, health and well-being of present and future generations. There is urgent need to restore the bridge between agriculture, technology and health. This is where the concept of Sustainable Nutrition Security arises.Addressing wide-spread deficiencies in vitamins and minerals, food fortification is considered to be the outstanding solution to achieve sustainable nutrition security. The World Bank and world health organization ranked food fortification as one sustainable, and very cost-effective public health strategy to improve the quality of foods by enriching commonly consumed and accessible foods.Food fortification has a long history of use in industrialized countries for the successful control of deficiencies of vitamins A and D, several B vitamins, iodine and iron. Recently, fortification has become a progressively attractive choice in the less industrialized countries as well. Results of efficacy and effectiveness studies have indicated that fortification could provide substantial amounts of micronutrients to target populations in a cost-effective manner. However, In order to ensure safety and health benefit, all forms of food fortification should be properly regulated and the standards need to be based consumption patterns and specific needs among vulnerable groups. To develop a successful food fortification program, a close collaboration among policy makers, regulatory bodies, nutrition scientists and private companies is required