Objective: To determine the impact of contaminant iron and geophagy on iron intake and status of persons living in developing countries. Design: Literature for review was identi®ed by searching Medline and Agricola, from appropriate other texts and from three reports from the Opportunities for Micronutrient Interventions (OMNI) Project of USAID. Setting: The dietary intake of iron by people living in developing countries is generally high but iron de®ciency remains prevalent. This apparent paradox is because the iron being consumed is predominantly in the non-haem form, which is poorly absorbed. Some of this non-haem iron is from contamination of food with iron from soil, dust and water; iron leaching into food during storage and cooking; contamination during food processing such as milling; and the practice of geophagy.
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