The impact of voluntary food fortification on micronutrient intakes and status in European countries: a review

Abstract

This review aims to assess the efficacy and safety of voluntary fortification as an option to address the occurrence of inadequate micronutrient intakes in population subgroups in Europe. Although legislation is harmonised across the European Union, fortification practices and patterns of consumption of fortified foods vary considerably between countries. While the proportion of children consuming fortified foods is greater than adults, the proportion of dietary energy obtained from fortified foods is generally low (<10% in Ireland, where fortified foods are widely consumed). There are a few systematic studies on the overall nutritional impact of voluntary fortification, but there are several studies on the impact of fortified ready-to-eat breakfast cereals. The available evidence indicates that voluntary fortification can reduce the risk of sub-optimal intakes of a range of micronutrients at a population level and can also improve status for selected micronutrients (e.g. folate, vitamin D and riboflavin) in children and adults. Although concerns have been raised regarding the potential of food fortification to lead to unacceptably high micronutrient intakes, particularly for those consuming higher amounts of fortified foods, data from national surveys on total micronutrient intakes (including fortified foods) in Europe show that small proportions of the population, particularly children, may exceed the upper intake level (UL) for some micronutrients.

Dietary and nutritional change in India: implications for strategies, policies, and interventions

“…Recent systematic reviews suggest that micronutrient fortification of foods for children has the potential to significantly increase serum micronutrient concentrations and reduce deficiencies . In addition, some studies reported positive effects of micronutrient fortification on functional outcomes, including linear growth and weight gain, and various cognitive development outcomes, but the overall effects on these functional outcomes are equivocal .…”

Flour fortification for nutritional and health improvement: A review

“…Governments are advised to impose an appropriate degree of control over voluntary fortification, it should not only be consistent with general regulatory objectives but should also consider the General Principles of Codex for the addition of essential nutrients to food. Voluntary fortification is moved by a desire of the industry to promote trade and the consumer to increase consumption of micronutrients as a means to gain health benefits (FAO & WTO, 2017;Hennessy, Walton, & Flynn, 2013;Marks et al, 2018;WHO & FAO, 2006).…”

The Analysis of Domestic and International Policy of Food Fortification With Trace Elements and Salt Iodization

“…Произвольное обогащение может уменьшить риск неоптималь-ного потребления ряда микронутриентов на уровне всего населения и, соответственно, улуч-шить статус обеспеченности отдельными микро-нутриентами. Отмечается, что добровольная фор-тификация не способствует значительно риску побочных эффектов (Hennessy et al, 2013).…”

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