Hidden hunger is a threat to achieving 2025 global nutrition targets

Anemia in pregnant women aged 15-49 years reduced from 57.9% in 2005-06 to 50.4% in 2015-16, giving us a hope that we are on the right trajectory to addressing maternal anemia. With the current state of anemia prevalence, India could miss the World Health Assembly’s Global Nutrition Target for 2025 of reducing anemia in women of reproductive age by 50%. However, there is a dearth of primary data on micronutrient deficiency beyond anemia and a few other micronutrients among pregnant women and women of reproductive age group-without this evidence, targeted interventions for micronutrient deficiencies take a back seat. While achieving dietary diversification has a financial cost to it, consuming fortified foods can address only a few micronutrient deficiencies--namely, iron, iodine, Vitamin A and D. Although supplementation is being currently deployed through the existing antenatal care platform to address iron and folic acid deficiency, these interventions alone are generally insufficient to address the various micronutrient gaps that may exist in pregnancy. One such formulation, backed by global evidence, is United Nations International Multiple Micronutrient Antenatal Preparation’s multiple micronutrient supplementation -a once-daily supplement that provides the Recommended Daily Allowance of 15 vitamins and minerals to address a broad spectrum of micronutrient deficiencies and has equivalent benefits as iron folic acid supplementation, the current standard of antenatal care, in preventing maternal anemia.