Experts raise concerns over mandatory fortification of food items

In a pushback against the Centre’s plan to mandatorily fortify rice and edible oils with vitamins and minerals, a group of scientists and activists have written to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, warning of the adverse impacts on health and livelihoods. ‘Inconclusive evidence’ One of the signatories is the National Institute of Nutrition’s former deputy director Veena Shatrugna, who warned that “evidence supporting fortification is inconclusive and certainly not adequate before major national policies are rolled out.” The letter points to recent studies published in the medical journal Lancet and in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition which show that both anaemia and Vitamin A deficiencies are overdiagnosed, meaning that mandatory fortification could lead to hypervitaminosis. “Adding one or two synthetic chemical vitamins and minerals will not solve the larger problem, and in undernourished populations can lead to toxicity,” it said, citing a 2010 study that showed iron fortification causing gut inflammation and pathogenic gut microbiota profile in undernourished children. Cartelisation The letter also argued that mandatory fortification would harm the vast informal economy of Indian farmers and food processors including local oil and rice mills, and instead benefit a small group of multinational corporations who will have sway over a ₹3,000 crore market. “Just five corporations have derived most of the benefits of global fortification trends and these companies have historically engaged in cartelising behaviour leading to price hikes,” said the letter, noting that the European Union has been forced to fine these companies for such behaviour and asked how the FSSAI proposed to regulate price in India.