Tackling micronutrient deficiency with fortified condiments

The answer to widespread micronutrient deficiencies? Condiments! Fortified condiments, that is.

“In some countries where these deficiencies are widespread, there is consistent use - almost a daily dose - of certain condiments and seasonings, such as soy sauce in Southeast Asia, at all socioeconomic levels, and there’s a real opportunity to correct deficiencies by fortifying these food items,” said Luis A Mejia, a University of Illinois (UI) adjunct professor in food science and human nutrition. Professor Mejia is working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to fortify condiments and seasonings to redress micronutrient deficiencies.

He says that at least a third of the world’s population are affected by micronutrient deficiencies, resulting in problems with health and cognitive development. This represents 7.3% of all global disease. The World Bank calls micronutrient fortification ‘the most cost-effective of all health interventions’.

“Just as iodine deficiency has been controlled for many years in the US through salt fortification, we now hope to offer a framework to enrich foods with iron, vitamin A, and other micronutrients in the developing world. Pregnant women are particularly in need of folic acid and zinc to deliver healthy children,” said Allyson Bower, a doctoral student in the UI Division of Nutritional Sciences.

Mejia pioneered the fortification of sugar with vitamin A in Guatemala - a program that was later expanded to the rest of Central America. Because no single condiment or seasoning is consumed regularly on the continent, fortifying sugar was decided upon as the best option to ensure community-wide fortification.

Bower says that soy and fish sauces are promising vehicles for fortification in Southeast Asia, while bouillon cubes are better suited to West Africa and curry powder for India and Pakistan.

However, the legal framework surrounding fortification can be an issue.

“For example, Vietnam has a soy-sauce fortification program, but Indonesia doesn’t. Indonesia does have regulations that allow fortification of wheat flour, margarine, and rice, but not condiments. So we can tell WHO that the legal framework is present in Indonesia and recommend that the organisation expand its efforts there,” Mejia said.

Mejia and Bower contributed to their recommendations at a WHO meeting in August.

All findings in WHO’s Fortification of Condiments and Seasonings with Vitamins and Minerals in Public Health: From Proof of Concept to Scaling Up will be published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Science.