Make people aware of fortified foods

While the need to consume fortified foods to address the issue of micronutrient deficiency is recognised worldwide, it is really unfortunate that people living in the poverty-stricken regions of Bangladesh, such as parts of Rangpur and Nilphamari districts, don't have access to fortified foods—nor are they aware of it. According to a study by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), only 41 percent of respondents had heard about fortified foods. Another 37 percent of respondents faced difficulty in buying these micronutrient-rich foods, while 40 percent could not buy them at all. This is because of the drastic fall in their income during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Food fortification is one of the most cost-effective strategies to increase the regular intake of micronutrients. Under this process, one or more micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are incorporated into food items to improve their nutritional qualities. Such foods are necessary to meet the nutritional needs of people, particularly the low income households who cannot afford to buy nutrient-rich foods.

Anaemia, which is caused by iron deficiency, is one of the biggest public health concerns in Bangladesh, but it can be fought with iron-rich fortified foods. Micronutrient deficiency causes many other health conditions such as malnutrition, multiple infections, chronic diseases, poor health and well-being, impaired learning, poor mental health, etc. This is particularly dangerous for pregnant women and children.

Although the government has undertaken many programmes to improve the nutritional status of vulnerable populations, there are still many shortcomings in the interventions. While the government was able to make people aware of and popularise the need to take iodised salt, it could not do so in case of other micronutrient-rich foods such as rice and edible oil. The icddr,b survey found that almost all the respondents knowingly consumed iodised salt and knew that packaged salts are iodised.

The question is: If people can be made aware of iodised salt, why can't they be made aware of nutrient-rich edible oil, rice and other foods? We think a massive awareness campaign is needed to make these food items popular among people. Most importantly, they must be made affordable to all. Since the government is selling essential food items at subsidised prices at different OMS (Open Market Sales) points across the country, it should include fortified rice and edible oil in their supplies. In addition, it should freely distribute these food items under its social safety net programmes to enhance the nutritional well-being of disadvantaged citizens.