Food Fortification

Food Fortification

Question 1. Prevention of food adulteration act, 1954.
Answer.

Prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1954 (PFA) The prevention of food adulteration act 1954 came into effect from june 1, 1955. The purpose of the Act is to ensure that food articles sold to the consumers are pure and wholesome, also to prevent deception or fraud and to ensure fair trade practices. The act was amended in 1964 and 1976 to plug the loopholes and to ensure deterant punishment to the offenders. As per the Act, food can be considered adulterated when any one of the following modes (or acts) are resorted to:

Food Fortification: Benefits and Importance

• Admixture of inferior or cheaper substance.
• Extraction of certain quality ingredients from the food.
• Preparing or packing under insanitary conditions.
• Sale of insect-infected food.
• Obtaining the food from a diseased animal.
• Incorporation of a poisonous component.
• Entry of injurious constituents from the container used.
• Use of colouring matter other than or in greater quantities than that approved for the food.
• Sale of substandard products, which may or may not be injurious to health. These are all prohibited acts under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. Persons found guilty of selling such adulterated food can be convicted. The severity of the sentence would depend on the gravity of the offence.

Food Fortification for Nutrient Deficiencies

Question 2. Food fortification.
Answer.

Food fortification or enrichment is the process of adding micronutrients (essential trace elements and vitamins) to food. It can be carried out by food manufacturers, or by governments as a public health policy that aims to reduce the number of people with dietary deficiencies within a population. The predominant diet within a region can lack particular nutrients due to the local soil or from inherent deficiencies within the staple foods; addition of micronutrients to staples and condiments can prevent large-scale deficiency diseases in these cases.

Food Fortification Techniques: Methods and Applications

As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), fortification refers to “the practice of deliberately increasing the content of an essential micronutrient, ie. vitamins and minerals (including trace elements) in a food, to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and to provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health”, whereas enrichment is defined as “synonymous with fortification and refers to the addition of micronutrients to a food which are lost during processing”.

How Food Fortification Helps Combat Malnutrition

Examples of fortification in foods.

Many foods and beverages worldwide have been fortified, through voluntary action by the product developers or by law.

The Food Fortification Initiative lists all countries in the world that conduct fortification programs, and within each country, what nutrients are added to which foods, and whether those programs are voluntary or mandatory. Vitamin fortification programs exist in one or more countries for folate, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and vitamin E. Mineral fortification programs include calcium, fluoride, iodine, iron, selenium, and zinc.