Because staple foods around the world provide predominantly non-heme iron sources of lowbioavailability, the traditionally eaten staple foodsrepresent an excellent vehicle for iron fortification. Examples of foods which have been fortifiedare wheat flour, corn (maize) flour, rice, salt,sugar, cookies, curry powder, fish sauce, and soysauce. However, even with foods fortified withiron, the consumption of iron absorptionenhancers should always be promoted to get thebest out of the food consumed.Fortified foods as part of food aid protect thenutritional status of vulnerable groups and victimsof emergencies but under normal circumstances,fortified foods may not be widely available to thepoorest and more isolated populations. Community-based approaches to fortification, for example using rural hammer mills, may be a useful wayof reaching these rural populations. In Malawi,maize is being fortified with iron as well as with Bvitamins, folate, zinc, and vitamin A. However,dietary diversification programs are of criticalimportance and should always be promoted.Fortification of food with iron and othermicronutrients is considered a valid technologyand strategy for adoption as part of a food-basedapproach when and where existing food suppliesand limited access fail to provide adequate levelsof the respective nutrients in the diet, and wherethe fortified food is highly likely to be accessibleto the target population. In such cases, fortification
of food is seen as a valuable adjunct program to
ongoing nutrition improvement programs. In
FAO’s view, fortification is not an alternative to
the overall goal of improving nutrition through the
consumption of a nutritionally adequate diet made
up from a variety of available foods.
8. SUPPLEMENTATION
Supplementation refers to periodic administration of pharmacological preparations of nutrients as capsules, tablets, or by injection. Supplementation is necessary as a short-term emergency measure to reverse clinical signs or for
prevention in groups at risk. Nutritional supplementation should be restricted to vulnerable
groups which cannot meet their nutrient needs
through food (women of childbearing age,
infants and young children, elderly people, low
socioeconomic groups, displaced people,
refugees, and populations experiencing other
emergency situations). Iron supplementation is
used to control and prevent iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women and appears to be essential during the second half of pregnancy. However, there is some concern about possible
negative effects of iron supplementation in that
it may be toxic at high doses. It can cause diarrhea and other abdominal symptoms, and for
newborns and in highly malaria-endemic areas it
may increase the morbidity of infectious disease
and reduce linear growth in iron-replete infants.
Some studies suggest that iron negatively affects
zinc status and that zinc and iron interact when
administered together in therapeutic doses and
thus should be supplemented independently to
avoid this interaction. However, evidence is
mixed.
CURRENTANDPLANNED ACTIVITIES
Achieving food security for all is at the heart of
FAO’s efforts to ensure that people have regular
access to enough high quality food to lead active
and healthy lives. FAO has been leading efforts
ensuring that agriculture, particularly in the
developing world, can help meet the demand for
healthy food and develop food production systems that are both economically and environmentally sustainable. Promoting the production and
consumption of fruits and vegetables, and animal
foods (fish and poultry) that are rich in micronutrients is central to FAO’s efforts to eradicate
hunger, alleviate poverty, and raise levels of nutrition and standards of living.
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