Food fortification is the intentional addition of one or more micronutrients (vitamin and minerals) to processed foods to increase people’s intake of the micronutrients and provide a health benefits.
Food fortification is important alternatives which complement food based approaches to satisfy the nutritional needs of people in developing and developed countries.
The benefits of food fortification
*Correcting or preventing nutrient deficiencies in the population or specific population
*Replacement compensates for losses during production
*Standardized the nutrient content of specific products
*Achieve nutritional equivalence of substitute foods
*Ensure appropriate nutrient content of special purpose foods
Food fortification has more likely played an important role in the decline of deficiency diseases, e.g. niacin fortification of flour and bread in the elimination of pellagra, iodine fortification of salt in the decline of goiter and vitamin D fortification of margarine and milk in the disappearance of rickets.
Fortification of what are known as ready-to-eat breakfast cereal, though not designed initially to combat any specific disease, has also made a major contribution to nutritional health for many.
The fortification of food
