Miller Magazine Issue: 115 July 2019

51 COVER STORY MILLER / JULY 2019 The lack of essential vitamins and minerals in individ- uals’ diets, known as ‘hidden hunger’, is a widespread problem affecting both low-income and high-income nations. Two billion people around the world suffer from hidden hunger and micronutrient deficiencies account for about 7.3% of the global disease burden . This form of malnutrition can lead to serious, long-last- ing health issues, including weakened immunity and blindness, and its effects can start early and impede children’s cognitive and physical development. Find- ing solutions to combat this threat is crucial to not just protect the most vulnerable populations, but to en- sure the positive development of societies worldwide. As more people are granted access to nutritious food containing essential micronutrients, economies are also more likely to prosper as healthcare costs decline and children and adults perform better at school and in employment. To stay healthy, balanced diets are recommended. However, this is not always achievable – especially in countries where people have limited access to af- fordable food with a high nutritional value. Staple food fortification is a well-established, trusted and proven method of addressing micronutrient deficiencies on a large scale and in a cost-effective way. It involves adding essential vitamins and minerals or replacing micronutrients that may have been lost during food processing. Is wheat flour fortification the way forward? As one of the most widely produced cereal crops in the world, wheat is a staple part of many everyday food products, including breads, biscuits, pasta and noodles. It makes up a significant percentage of ener- gy intake globally but particularly in Western Asia and the Americas . Due to its broad geographic versatility and availability, wheat flour is considered highly suit- able for fortification to deliver micronutrients to large consumer groups. For example, in food applications vitamins are often sensitive to heat, oxidizing and reducing agents, as well as light and other kinds of physical and chemical stress. In wheat flour, however, vitamins are relatively stable, and it also has a high nu- trient retention when processed at high temperatures , such as when baked. In its natural state, wheat is a good source of vita- mins B1, B2, B6, E and niacin, as well as iron and zinc. As most of these essential vitamins and minerals are concentrated in the outer layers of the wheat grain, the majority are removed during the milling process. Replacing some of the micronutrients lost through milling is recognized as an effective way to improve the nutritional profile of the food supply and effectively combat hidden hunger. In countries where large num- bers of individuals consistently do not consume suffi- cient quantities of specific vitamins and minerals, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends not just replacing lost micronutrients, but adding addition- al ones through fortification. Compulsory wheat flour fortification is becoming increasingly common across the world - 70 countries, including Canada, the US and UK, South Africa, Mexico and the Philippines, cur- rently have policies in place . Depending on the fortification program, the cost that is passed to the consumer can be as little as USD$ 0.01 per 5 kg flour, meaning fortifying wheat is much less expensive than generally assumed. For millers, micronutrient premixes represent a cost-effective way to fortify flour. For example, a pre- mix containing iron, folic, acid and several B vitamins usually costs no more than USD$ 3 per metric ton of