UN continues camapaign for vitamin fortification

[Guest guest]

http://nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=55295 & n=dh285 & c=wokvpgxagwnympq

 

UN continues camapaign for vitamin fortification

 

11/10/2004 - The international community has congratulated sub-Saharan

Africa on its progress in reducing vitamin deficiency but says almost

no action has been taken to fight iron deficiency.

 

It has called on governments to create the right legal and financial

conditions to allow the food sector to play a bigger role in defeating

vitamin and mineral deficiency.

 

In 2002, the United Nations set three specific goals in its campaign

to reduce vitamin and mineral deficiencies in developing countries :

the sustained elimination of iodine deficiency by 2005, the

elimination of vitamin A deficiency by 2010, and a reduction, of at

least 30 per cent, in the global prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia

by 2010.

 

In sub-Saharan countries for example, vitamin and mineral deficiencies

have been estimated to cost more than $2.3 billion every year in lost

productivity, mainly through birth defects, anaemia, blindness and

mental disabilities.

 

A new report, jointly authored by United Nations agencies and

non-governmental organizations (NGOs), says that some 25 nations in

subSaharan Africa now reach 70 per cent or more of their children with

one vitamin A capsule every year, and 11 have recently achieved much

higher rates of iodized salt coverage.

 

But despite the achievements, " few nations have moved to implement the

full range of solutions on a systematic, nation-wide scale " .

 

" The best hope of sustained progress against vitamin and mineral

deficiency…resides in the idea of national and regional alliances to

press for, plan, implement and monitor specific solutions, as well as

facilitate trade in fortified foods, " says the report.

 

Such alliances need to embrace not only government departments but

also food companies, who are best equipped to develop, market, and

distribute fortified food products for daily consumption by a

significant proportion of the population, adds the report.

 

And this will require " public-private partnerships and government

initiatives to create the legal and financial conditions and

incentives that will allow the private sector to play its central role

in defeating vitamin and mineral deficiency " .

 

Cost and technical issues still present concerns for the industry.

Flour fortification means buying nutrients, new equipment, further

testing and quality control, and marketing spend. With little

government support, both the private sector and consumers must bear

some of these additional costs.

 

But better dissemination of technical expertise across borders and

increased knowledge about fortification could help to reduce some of

these costs and make the process more efficient.

 

And major campaigns launched by charities such as Unicef and the WHO

have significantly raised the visibility of the need for such policies

among governments.

 

Speaking at this year's World Economic Forum, current chair of GAIN

Jay Naidoo, also chairman of the board of the Development Bank of

Southern Africa, said that if wheat flour was fortified in the 75 most

needy countries with iron and folic acid, iron deficiency could be

reduced by 10 per cent, and birth defects could be lowered by a third.

 

Such fortification would cost a total of about $85 million, or about 4

cents per person, he said.

 

" As a result, we estimate these countries would gain $275 million in

increased productivity and $200 million from the enhanced earning

potential, " Naidoo claimed. " There are many other examples to

emphasize that public-private partnerships to invest in food

fortification are investments not only in health, but also in national

economies. "

 

Also, a recent report from the Copenhagen Consensus, a panel of eight

of the world's most distinguished economists, included fortification

programmes as one of its top priorities for facing global challenges.

Copyright -