By Fatima Saka
The Federal Government says it has included rice on the list of foods that must be fortified with micronutrients to reduce the rate of hidden hunger in the country.
The Deputy Director and Head of the MicroNutrition Deficiency Unit, Federal Ministry of Health, John Uruakpa, made this statement on Monday in Lagos, during the launch of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Large-Scale Food Fortification (LSFF) Strategy.
According to him, the Food fortification is the practice of adding vitamins and minerals to commonly consumed foods during processing to increase their nutritional value.
Uruakpa said that rice fortification would improve the nutritional quality derived from the staple food and provide a public health benefit with minimal health risk.
According to him, food fortification is a proven, cost-effective, sustainable, and scalable intervention that will ensure access to micronutrients that are necessary for a healthy and functional body.
He said that the government would continue to create the enabling environment that would encourage partners to expand their food fortification efforts in Nigeria.
Also, Dr Andreas Bluethner, Director of Nutrition, BMGF, said that fortification of wheat flour, maize flour, vegetable oil, margarine, salt and sugar had been mandatory in Nigeria for more than 10 years.
“Foods have often been found to be inadequately fortified or even unfortified when spot-tested at the market level.
“This has slowed the contributions of food fortification to fighting Nigeria’s high levels of micronutrient deficiencies, which include life-threatening deficiencies in iron, vitamin A, zinc, folic acid, and iodine,” he said.
“The foundation is investing in food fortification markets to provide quality nutritious foods that are affordable for all consumers,” he added.
Also, the Country Director, of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) Nigeria, Dr Michael Ojo, said that the digital revolution presented fortified food producers in the country opportunities to prevent fortification shortfalls, while increasing efficiency and profitability of their businesses.
“We anticipate this system will allow companies to assure every customer that the nutrient content of their product is guaranteed, reducing health risks and offering a direct path to longer and healthier lives,” he said.