Miller Magazine Issue: 136 April 2021

66 MILLER / aprıl 2021 COVER STORY Most countries should update their flour fortification standards to met WHO guidelines Half of the countries that fortify maize and wheat flours with iron, zinc and vitamin B12 may need to update their standards to meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) current recommendations, ac- cording to a recent study published in Food Policy. For decades, many countries have recommend- ed or required that the food industry produce “for- tified” foods by adding a small amount of vitamins and minerals–micronutrients–into basic food sta- ples and condiments which almost all consumers can afford: for example, wheat flour with added iron or folic acid. Food is fortified to prevent micronutri- ent deficiencies that can boost a child’s academic achievement, increase adult productivity and pre- vent disabling or fatal birth defects. “While we continue efforts to increase accessibility to affordable, diverse and healthy diets, fortification of staple foods can provide populations–especially of the most vulnerable–with the vitamins and min- erals that are the most difficult to obtain,” explained Dr. Nancy Aburto, Deputy Director of Nutrition and Food Systems for the Food and Agriculture Orga- nization and former World Food Programme (WFP) Chief of Nutrition. To make sure people get the nutrients they need, countries set standards outlining the types and amounts of vitamin and minerals, as well as the op- timal fortificant that millers and other food produc- ers can use when fortifying food. “Fortification stan- dards must include the most efficacious vitamin and mineral compounds, in the right amounts, to safely meet their public health purpose. It is possible to accelerate progress towards re- ducing anemia and neural tube defects, and this paper shows key policy gaps that need to be ad- dressed to do so,” stated Luz María de Regil, Head of the Unit of Multisectoral Action in Food Systems, WHO. In the study, country standards for wheat and maize flour fortification were compared to interna-