Fortified Foods

Fortified foods are foods to which one or more nutrients have been deliberately added to increase their nutrient content. Fortification most commonly involves micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals, including iron, iodine, folic acid, vitamin A, and vitamin D. The added nutrient may already occur naturally in the food or may not normally be present in meaningful amounts .¹

Food fortification is used to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and can help increase intake of nutrients that are insufficient in a population or particular group. Commonly consumed foods are often chosen as vehicles for fortification because they can deliver the added nutrient through usual eating patterns. Depending on the country and nutrient, fortification may be required by regulation or undertaken voluntarily by food manufacturers .^1,3

Fortification is related to, but distinct from, enrichment. In common regulatory usage, enrichment refers to replacing vitamins or minerals lost during food processing, whereas fortification refers more broadly to adding nutrients to increase their level in a food. The terminology and specific legal definitions can vary between regulatory systems, and in some contexts the terms are used interchangeably .^2,3

Calling a food fortified describes the deliberate addition of nutrients, not its overall nutritional quality. The amount and form of the added nutrient, its availability for absorption, the amount of the food consumed, and the rest of the diet all influence its nutritional contribution .^1,3