As the Odisha government is preparing to launch fortified rice in the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Malkangiri district, more than 100 activists have opposed the move saying the people have sufficient substitutes in natural food to meet the nutritional needs. According to activists, Vitamin C and calcium are available in abundance in natural food. Vitamin C is water soluble . If the rice is laced with Vitamin C, it will get washed away while the rice is cleaned before cooking . It is a futile exercise to add Vitamin C to uncooked rice. And the move would lead to wasteful expenditure of taxpayers’ money. What is Food Fortification? Fortification is the addition of key vitamins and minerals such as Iron, Iodine, Zinc, Vitamins A & D to staple foods such as rice, wheat, oil, milk and salt to improve their nutritional content . These nutrients may or may not have been originally present in the food before processing or may have been lost during processing. Why do we Need Fortification of Food? Deficiency of micronutrients or micronutrient malnutrition , also known as hidden hunger , is a serious health risk . Access to safe and nutritious food is a must and sometimes due to lack of consumption of a balanced diet, lack variety in the diet or unavailability of food one does not get adequate micronutrients. Often, there is considerable loss of nutrients during the processing of food as well. One of the strategies to address this problem is fortification of food. This method complements other ways to improve nutrition such as such as diversification of diet and supplementation of food.
