Stop distributing iron fortified rice in Jharkhand, say activists

Distribution of iron fortified rice through government schemes as a “silver bullet” to curb anaemia must stop in States like Jharkhand, which have large tribal populations that suffer from sickle-cell anaemia, thalassemia, and tuberculosis, for whom an overload of iron can create adverse health issues, warn activists, who in a fact-finding exercise discovered that neither field functionaries nor beneficiaries had been educated about the potential harms, and there were no warning labels despite the food regulator’s rules on fortified foods. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s Food Safety and Standards Regulations 2018 require that fortified food packets must mandatorily display the fortification logo, and that every package of food fortified with iron shall carry a warning statement that people with thalassemia may consume it under medical supervision, and persons with sickle cell anaemia are advised not to consume iron fortified food products. The report recommends that even a screening process before the distribution of iron fortified rice is unlikely to be of help as households are unlikely to cook two different types of rice for those who can consume this kind of rice and those who can’t, and, therefore supply and distribution of iron fortified rice should stop in Jharkhand, and the State government must reject rice fortification in government food schemes as an approach to tackling malnutrition. Universal fortification is not the answer for nutrition deficiencies,” said Dr. Anura Kurpad, Professor, St. John’s Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru, who has also argued that ”layering” of government schemes, such as the distribution of iron-folic acid tablets at anganwadi centres and schools as well as iron fortified salt in some States may lead to excessive consumption of iron leading to health risks.