Food Fortification

Food fortification is the deliberate addition or increase of one or more vitamins or minerals in a food, condiment, or staple with the aim of improving the nutritional quality of the food supply. It is commonly used as a public-health strategy when a population has inadequate intake or a substantial risk of deficiency of a particular micronutrient .^1,2

Fortification can be mandatory or voluntary and can occur at different scales. Large-scale fortification adds nutrients to widely consumed foods during industrial production, while targeted approaches are designed for specific foods or populations. The amount and chemical form of the added nutrient matter because the nutrient must remain sufficiently stable, be biologically available, and not create unacceptable changes in the food .^1,2

Fortification should be distinguished from enrichment and supplementation. Enrichment often refers to restoring nutrients lost during processing, although regulatory use of the terms varies by country. Supplementation usually provides nutrients in a separate product such as a tablet, capsule, powder, or liquid rather than incorporating them into a commonly eaten food. Fortification is therefore primarily a property of the food supply and its formulation, not simply the act of consuming extra nutrients .^1,2