Miller Magazine Issue: 149 May 2022

50 MILLER / MAY 2022 NEWS Manufacturers will have to start fortifying wheat flour with nutrients to better protect Malaysian women and unborn infants, says Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. This comes as the Cabinet approved a proposal by the Health Ministry on April 20 to make it mandatory for man- ufacturers to add folic acid and iron into their 25kg wheat flour packages. "The proposal will ensure that the level of iron and folic acid in wheat flour is in line with the proposal by the World Health Organisation (WHO)," the Health Min- ister said in a statement. He noted the proposal, once im- plemented following amendments to the Food Regulations 1985, will see 6.0 miligram (mg) of iron and 260 microgram (µg) added in every 100 grams of wheat flour. “At the mo- ment, both nutrients are not added to the 25kg packag- es. Both nutrients are only included in the 1kg wheat flour packages voluntarily and are lower than the proposed lev- els,” he added. Khairy said the move to fortify wheat flour with the two nutrients is aimed at preventing disabilities among un- born infants such as Neural Tube Defect (NTD) and ane- mia among child bearing mothers. Based on the National Health and Morbidity Study 2019, one out of five (21.3%) Malaysians suffer from anemia. “More specifically, three out of 10 (29.9%) women between the productive ages of 15 and 49, suffer from anemia,” he said. He noted that ane- mia would result in premature births and affect the mental, physical and cognitive development of an infant. He added that NTD was a condition that affects the cranial, brain and spinal development of an unborn infant. “This will result in further problems such as higher patient management and rehabilitation costs," he said, noting that NTD could also result in death. Khairy said the mandatory inclusion of the nutrients in the 25kg wheat flour packages would also improve the quali- ty of food produced by the small and medium enterprises (SME). “This will improve the nutrient quality of food pro- duced by the SME such as bread, wet mee, roti canai and cakes, which would provide Malaysians better access to more nutritious food in the market,” he added. Khairy said that the ministry will engage the relevant industry stake- holders on the matter including ensuring that the imple- mentation of the proposal would not burden the rakyat in terms of cost. Folic acid and iron to be added to fortify wheat flour in Malaysia