Experts reported that more than 2 billion people in the world have micronutrient deficiencies because of not consuming enough essential vitamins every day. Undernutrition and nutrient deficiency are estimated to cause the deaths of between 3 and 5 million people per year globally. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, many adults are not getting enough

• Calcium
• Dietary fibre
• Magnesium
• Vitamins like A, D, E, C and other B complex vitamins.

Essentially Pregnant women and older adults are more often vulnerable to vitamin deficiencies. Also, vitamin deficiencies are common in people with special diets like vegans lack vitamin B-12.

In order to limit the micronutrient deficiency cases all over the world, fortified foods entered the food market in 1930s. They were formulated to boost vitamin and mineral intake with foods people mostly consume like milk, grains flour etc.,

What exactly is fortification?

Food fortification is the process of supplementing food or drink products, usually with vitamins or minerals. This process can be carried out by food manufacturers or as a public health policy by governments. Fortification of food aims to minimize the number of people with dietary deficiencies.

World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) defined fortification process as “the practice of deliberately increasing the content of an essential micronutrient, i.e., vitamins and minerals (including trace elements) in a food, to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and to provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health",

Food fortification has been identified as the second strategy of four by the WHO and FAO to decrease the incidence of nutrient deficiencies at the global level.

Methods of Food Fortification

Based on the stage of nutrients addition, food fortification can be categorized into 3 types -

1. Commercial and industrial fortification - grain flour, corn meal, edible oils, iodised salt
2. Biofortification - breeding crops to increase their nutritional value, which can include both conventional selective breeding, and modern genetic engineering
3. Home fortification - vitamin D drops

Most commonly fortified foods groups outlined by FAO include -

• Cereal and cereal based products
• Milk and dairy products
• Fats and oils
• Tea and other beverages
• Accessory food items like salt
• Infant formulas

Why are foods fortified?

Fortified foods make an important contribution all over the world in combating nutritional deficiencies. Foods are fortified for the following reasons:

·       Restoration of lost nutrients

For example, B group vitamins especially thiamine (B₁) and niacin (B₃) must be added to white and brown flour

• Substitution of nutrients for similar products

For example, Vitamin B₁₂ and calcium are added to soya-based products to meet the needs of vegans as they are deficient in vitamin B12 and in also to prevent osteoporosis in later stages of life.

• To enrich staple foods with nutrients

Foods are being fortified, either mandatory or voluntary, in order to improve the nutritional status of a population and reduce the incidence of nutritional deficiencies.

• To make the product more valuable source of nutrients.

For example, Vitamin A and D must be added to margarine by law (to match butter nutritive value), breakfast cereals

·       To add nutrients to foods and make them more appealing to customers

For example, some bread products added with omega 3

Strict safety regulations on the fortification of foods.

Regulation (EC) 1925/2006 prescribed clear maximum and minimum levels of fortification for safety and nutritional reasons. It also sets out labelling requirements and lists of vitamins and minerals that can be voluntarily added to food commodities.

Vitamins and minerals cannot be added to any unprocessed foods, such as fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry or fish.

However, the mandatory fortification of bread and flour with folic acid still applies at 240 micrograms per 100g of flour to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) in babies.

The addition of essential vitamins and minerals to flour and margarine is mandatory under UK legislation in order to increase calcium intake.

Many foods are fortified voluntarily. For example, breakfast cereals are voluntarily fortified with a range of vitamins and minerals.

FSSAI under the regulation of fortified food category FFRC (Food Fortification Resource centre) covers below products to be fortified with listed micronutrients.

Comprehensive portfolio of testing services – Eurofins

Eurofins, being a global leader in food and feed analytical testing, is one of the top most laboratories to offer testing services for fortified foods like flours, grains, salt, edible oils and other food commodities including dietary supplements using the most updated techniques of measurement to give reliable results.

Have a glance at wide range of testing services that we offer for fortified foods:

• Complete vitamin analysis in fortified food products
• Complete mineral analysis in fortified food products
• Nutritional labelling
• Labelling verification
• Shelf-life testing
• Allergen testing
• Complete nutritional profile analysis
• Contaminant testing
• Microbial analysis
• Food authenticity services

Advantages of Eurofins in food testing

• Competence Centres with state-of-the-art equipment and the latest technology
• Fast turn-around time (TAT)
• International presence & local contact with a Global Network
• Participation in industry associations and regulatory bodies allowing early advice on potential food scares and legal obligations
• Results you can rely on

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