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Stress on fortification to battle issue of malnutrition & reduce rates
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
August 29 , 2015
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The battle against malnutrition and undernourishment received a boost at
"A Drive Against Malnutrition" organised by CGSI in association with
CII, Consumer Voice, Face and Gain, recently.
The event saw a
number of industry experts and officials from varied fields of nutrition
and food technology put forth their views and action plans to battle
the epidemic.
Suresh Annapure, joint commissioner, FDA,
Maharashtra, spoke from his experience as a food technologist. "As per
government rules, fortification is already mandatory which should help
eliminate malnourishment. But where are these so called results. There
should be an economic, social and political responsibility from a wide
range of individuals in the industry. In Madhya Pradesh, the
industry-driven fortification of food oil and vanaspati was made
mandatory and after reviewing the results there are visible improvements
in micronutrient profiles. Thus industry leaders and private sector
must take an active effort to reduce malnourishment rates."
Malnourishment
among children can stunt their mental and physical growth. Nearly 57%
of the children suffer from a vitamin A deficiency and preschool
children are dealt the worst cards with 65.3% of them suffering from a
vitamin A deficiency. When the odds are on that side of growth, claims
of a divided demographic that will increase productivity are all just
whims. With iron and vitamin A deficiencies prevalent among pregnant
mothers and young children, the child enters the world timidly on the
backfoot of a normal life.
Fortification of oil and other food
allow an inexpensive and efficient method to dealing with this crisis.
The experts spoke about raising awareness on the need for fortification
at a ground level. Equipping rural India with the knowledge of a
balanced diet, sufficient with essential micronutrient to support growth
is necessary.
On CGSI’S initiative to carry out the drive, Dr
Sitaram Dixit, chairman, CGSI, states, “As an organisation catering to
solving consumer griefs, we strive to continue to alleviate those who
need a helping hand. Bringing together the experts in related fields we
are positive we can merge technology and goodwill and put a cap on the
alarming rise of undernourishment in India.”
Ashim Sanyal, COO,
Consumer Voice, said, "Fortification of food involves equipping the
staple diet with necessary micronutrients. India must catch up with food
fortification as our counterparts have already implemented it with
great success. In a proactive state like Maharashtra with organisations
such as CGSI immediate steps must be taken by industries to not only
implement fortification but follow up on its results and document the
data."
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