Food fortification

Food fortification or enrichment is the process of adding micronutrients (essential elements and vitamins) to food. It is purely a financial choice to provide extra nutrient in food or sometimes it is a public health policy which aims to reduce the number of people with dietary deficiencies in a population (Figure 18, below). Diets that lack variety can deficient in certain nutrients.

Sometimes the staple food of the area can lack particular nutrients due to the soil erosion or the inadequacy of the healthy diet. So adding one or more nutrients to the staple food commonly consumed by the community increases consumption pattern of fortified food which helpful for the preventions of micronutrient deficiency. Fortification is most effective when one or more food contents are widely consumed by high-risk groups. E.g. : oils, sugar, milk, milk powder, salt cereals, other flours.