Fortified bread and maize on shelves soon
South Africans can soon expect fortified bread and maize on supermarket shelves.
Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang launched South Africa's National Food
Fortification Programme in April this year. The programme is a Department of
Health initiative to reduce micronutrient deficiencies in SA.
The food fortification regulations come in to effect in October this year,
when consumers can expect to find fortified bread and maize on the shelves. The
picture on the right is the official food fortification logo approved by SA government. If a package carries this logo, it means it is fortified in line with the food fortification guidelines.
Unfortified whole wheat bread and bread baked from cake flour will still be
available.
The Milling and Baking Industry in the country has been closely involved with
the development of the NFFP and gave extensive input to the drafting of the
regulations. The cost of the new equipment and fortification mix will be borne
by the consumer. This works out at approximately 1 cent per loaf of bread and 2
cents per kilogram of maize meal.
Consulting the Public
According to the department of health, research into public perception of
food fortification was conducted in peri-urban, rural and deep-rural South
Africa. Their findings showed that 81% of consumers are in favour of food
fortification, 88% would buy foods with added vitamins and 78% had no concerns.
In another study on metropolitan consumers, JB consultancy on behalf of Unilever
showed that 91% of consumers could be persuaded to believe that added vitamins
improved the taste of food!
During consumer trials, the Milling and Baking Industry found that consumers
could in fact not detect differences in the colour and taste of the fortified
maize meal porridge and bread versus the unfortified products.
Draft food regulations were published in the Government gazette in October
2002 and remained open for three months for public comment.
Safety
The Department of Health sees the Food fortification programme as a safe and
cost-effective medium to long-term strategy to reduce micronutrient
deficiencies. Countries such as the USA began fortification of flour back in the
1940s. Flour fortification with thiamin and riboflavin in Canada lead to a
reduction in both of these deficiencies, from rates of 19% (thiamin) and 10%
(riboflavin), to less than 1% after four years. Venezuela showed similar stats
for iron deficiencies.
Nutrients
Maize meal and wheat flour will be fortified with vitamin A, riboflavin,
niacin, pyridoxine, folic acid, iron and zinc. Studies have take into account
losses of nutrients following storage and cooking. The contribution of this food
fortification would depend on the amount of food consumed as well as other
nutrient requirements, which depends on gender and age.
200g of raw maize meal/wheat flour should provide the following percentages
of the Recommended daily allowance of these nutrients:
Vitamin A: 31%; thiamin: 25%; riboflavin: 20% for wheat flour and 17% for maize
meal; niacin: 25%; pyridoxine: 25%; folic acid: 25%; iron: 50% (unsifted maize
meal: 25%); zinc: 20%
A child of four years who consumed 250g cooked fortified maize meal porridge
would receive 25% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin A. A
25-year-old woman who consumes 160g bread (about 4 slices) would obtain
approximately 27% of the RDA for folic acid.
Related articles:
LINK South Africa to establish
mandatory food fortification of staple foods in 2002
LINK Addressing malnutrition in
South Africa
LINK Food fortification - the debate
continues
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