Miller Magazine Issue: 136 April 2021

64 MILLER / aprıl 2021 COVER STORY An alarming proportion of the world’s population suf- fers from ‘hidden hunger’, the term used for micronutri- ent deficiencies because the symptoms often cannot be seen or felt. Deficiencies in micronutrients - small quantities of vitamins and minerals that the body needs for physical and mental development - are widespread affecting more than a third of the world's population. In their absence, individuals and families suffer serious consequences including learning disabilities, impaired work capacity, illness and death. Collectively, the micro- nutrient deficiencies damage health, cause death, harm reproduction, reduce intelligence, educability and ac- ademic achievement, and lower work productivity and occupational choices. Of special concern, micronutrient deficiencies interfere with child growth and develop- ment, sometimes permanently. COVID-19 has serious implications for those most vulnerable to micronutrient malnutrition as well as the essential nutrition services that prevent malnutrition’s debilitating effects. The consequences of micronutrient malnutrition are extensive, including devastating birth defects for babies, impaired brain development in young children, and reduced work capacity among adults that stunts lives and economies. More than ever, food fortifi- cation with iron, folic acid, zinc, and other essential nu- trients is a life-saving intervention vital to reducing the risk of malnutrition—before, during, and after pandem- ics. To prevent a rise in malnutrition as a result of the pandemic, countries need to maintain food systems and support large-scale interventions like the fortification of staple foods. Important micronutrients with public health signifi- cance include vitamin A, iron, iodine, B. complex vitamins and zinc. More than two billion people or a third of the world’s population are unable to enjoy their maximum physical and mental potential owing to an inadequate in- take of these nutrients. The prevalence of the problem is much higher in developing countries relative to de- veloped countries. Even in developed countries like the USA and Canada, the rates of iron deficiency may reach the levels of public health significance and nearly every country is deficient in folic acid. Fortification is the process of adding vitamins and/or minerals to foods to increase its overall nutritional con- tent. Fortification when imposed on existing food patterns may not necessitate changes in the customary diet of the population and does not call for individual compliance. It can often be dovetailed into existing food production and distribution systems. For these reasons, fortification can often be implemented and be sustained over a long period of time, making it to be the most cost-effective way to overcome micronutrient malnutrition. Fortification has been recognized by many national governments as an important strategy to help improve the health and nu- trition status of millions of people on a continuous and self-sustaining basis.