Iron, zinc to be fortified in flour
Iron, zinc to be fortified in flour
JAKARTA (JP): Flour producers will soon be required to fortify
the iron and zinc content in their products as part of the
government's program to reduce anemia in the country.
The government is currently drafting a regulation that will
oblige producers to produce flour that contains 60 ppm of iron
and 30 ppm of zinc.
Anie Kurniawan of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare's
Directorate of Community Nutrition said the iron and zinc
fortification was necessary given the high number of people in
the country with iron deficiency anemia.
According to data from the ministry, in 1995 51 percent of
pregnant women suffered from iron deficiency anemia, 40 percent
of children under the age of 5, 30 percent of school children and
30 percent to 40 percent women workers.
Since the economic crisis hit the country in 1997, these
numbers have risen.
"In East Java, for example, data from 1999 shows that some
70.3 percent of pregnant women suffer from anemia. It also
attacks some 80.2 percent of teenage girls," Anie said during a
seminar here.
She said anemia caused a decrease in immunity and productivity
and a lower intelligence quotient.
"We chose fortification because of the lower cost and because
it is more effective," the chairman of the ministry's
fortification commission, Suroso Natakusuma, said.
Fortification, he claimed, would increase the production cost
of flour by about Rp 10 to Rp 15 per kilogram. It now costs about
Rp 2,500 (24 US cents) to produce one kilogram of flour.
"Legally, fortification has a strong basis as stipulated in
articles 24 and 27 of Law No. 7/1996 on food," Suroso said,
referring to the law which states that the government can set
requirements on food products in order to increase their
nutritional value.
Suroso said it would be preferable to fortify rice because it
is more widely consumed in the country.
"But there are thousands of rice millers in this country. It
will be difficult for us to control them," he said.
Therefore, he said, flour was chosen because production of
this product was concentrated at five companies.
"The companies have agreed to fortify their products because
it will also limit the distribution of imported flour, which is
of higher quality," Suroso said, adding that fortifying flour was
also technically feasible.
He added that flour was one of the primary calorie sources in
the country, with 15 kilograms of flour consumed per capita
annually.
"The consumption rate also increases every year. It is mostly
used in noodles and in the production of bakery products," he
said.
He said that research conducted by the ministry in
coordination with several international institutions showed no
significant effect of fortification on the quality of the flour.
"The United States has used fortification for 50 years, and it
is no problem," Suroso asserted.
However, Suroso said the fortification must not burden
consumers. "Therefore, in the short term, the government should
help the industry fund the program."
He said funds also would come from the United States Agency
for International Development and the Canadian International
Development Agency.
Suroso also touched on the necessity of monitoring food
producers. "Iodization is also mandatory but not every producer
does it."
The availability of laboratories is one obstacle to
monitoring. Few of the laboratories owned by the food industry
are accredited, and less than half of the laboratories owned by
the Food and Drug Control Agency and Ministry of Industry and
Trade are accredited.
"The number of lab analysts and food inspectors is also still
low. The other problem is a lack of consumer awareness," he
said.(hdn)