Oct 24, 2020
To tackle anemia in India, the central government is planning to make fortification of rice mandatory in the country. In fortification essential micronutrient, such as vitamins or minerals, is added in a food item to improve its nutritional value and provide public health benefits at a minimal cost.
Anemia is a condition in which a person has low levels of red blood cells or concentration hemoglobin, which reduces the capacity of their blood to carry oxygen. The most common causes of anemia are nutritional deficiencies, particularly iron deficiency.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is working on a proposal to make fortification mandatory for rice in the next three years, with a cost of Rs. 2,500 crore every fiscal year.
According to FSSAI, rice is the staple food of more than 70 percent of the Indian population. Therefore, in an effort to upsurge the nutritional value of the food consumed and reduce the incidence of anemia in the country, the central government is planning to fortify rice with iron, folic acid and vitamin B-12.
The fortification process is a viable proposition as it is likely to reduce the incidence of anemia in India by almost 35 percent in a few years of launching the scheme.
Anemia leads to economic loss to the nation due to the lesser productivity of the population. Additionally, it will reduce the problem of low birth rate and compromised mental development. According to the National Family Health Survey 2015-16, 58.6 percent of children aged between 6-59 months and 53.1 percent of all women surveyed aged between 15-49 years were anemic.
Furthermore, half of the pregnant women surveyed in the NFHS aged between the ages of 15 and 49 were also found to be anemic, along with 23 percent of men aged 15 to 49 years.