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Fortifying India - Food Security to Nutritional Security
Recently, the Prime Minister has addressed the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort to mark India’s 75th Independence Day and emphasised the need to ensure “poshan” (nutrition) to the country’s women and children.
Need for shifting from Food Security to Nutrition Security
- Omission of nutritious part in food policies: The researchers commented that in the past the "nutritious" part has been overlooked or lost in national policies and solutions which is an omittance that may’ve contributed to the rise of diet-related diseases.
- Merging Health and Nutrition: The nutrition security brings together the historically siloed areas i.e. hunger and nutrition.
- It must be tackled together to effectively address the modern challenges of diet-related diseases and disparities in clinical care, government food and food assistance policies, public health investments, and national research.
- Incorporate aims of food security: Nutrition security incorporates all the aims of food security but with additional emphasis on the need for wholesome, healthful foods and drinks for all.
- Increase in food insecure population in India: During the period of 2017-19, the PMSFI increased in India by 3.7 percentage points and subsequently fell by 0.5 percentage points in the rest of South Asia.
- Lack of availability of data: India has not released the latest National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) consumption expenditure survey data for 2017-18 and as a result, the conventional measures of poverty and food consumption are not available for recent years.
- Growing disparity between supply-side and consumption-side surveys: The lack of regular availability of consumption survey data has become untenable for India because of a large and growing disparity between the supply-side data and data from the consumption surveys.
- Increase in Economic Distress: The significant rise in food insecurity is a clear manifestation of the overall economic distress marked by a deepening agrarian crisis, falling investments across sectors and shrinking employment opportunities.
- It is widely believed that demonetization and introduction of the Goods and Services Tax were two prime causes of economic distress during this period.
- The vast majority of India’s poor are faced with increased food insecurity, hunger and starvation because of a sudden loss of livelihoods during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Lack of adoption of universally accepted methods of surveys on Food Insecurity: Unlike most other countries, the government of India neither conducts official FIES surveys nor accepts estimates based on FAO-GWP surveys.
- No publication of estimates of surveys: India is among the few countries that do not allow publication of estimates based on FAO-GWP surveys which are conducted in India.
- Lack of progress in maternal and child undernutrition: The study from ICMR has revealed that progress in maternal and child undernutrition varies tremendously by State.
- It also highlights how malnutrition contributes the most to child deaths as well as disability in adults.
- Data on Malnutrition is not encouraging: A new data on malnutrition among children from the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey highlights how challenges of overweight, obesity and even early non-communicable disease, are no longer adult challenges.
- Impact of social determinants on malnutrition: A range of studies published by researchers in India and abroad demonstrated that social determinants related to gender, education, sanitation and poverty are key drivers of stunting and undernutrition.
- The early-life undernutrition is an important risk factor for later-life adult disease, along with food environments, physical activity and preventive healthcare.
- Food fortification is an efficient public health strategy: It can reach wider susceptible populations through existing food delivery systems without requiring major changes in existing consumption patterns.
- It acts as an effective short-term approach to address the nutrition gaps within a population.
- The long-term, sustainable approach would be to diversify people’s dietary patterns by encouraging higher consumption of locally produced seasonal food.
- Cost-effective strategy: It is estimated that inclusion of fortified rice and wheat flour in ICDS and MDM Scheme will require an additional amount of ₹300 crore, which is a small percentage of the annual allocation for these schemes (about ₹28,345 crore).
- The inclusion of fortified foods in the Public Distribution System (PDS) can provide calorie-dense food at an affordable cost to larger sections of the underserved communities.
- Large scale coverage of population: It is estimated that through these programmes, benefits of food fortification could reach around 180 million beneficiaries and if extended to the Public Distribution System (PDS), the fortifying foods could benefit close to 800 million people.
- Reduction in micronutrient malnutrition: Fortification of food with micronutrients is a valid technology for reducing micronutrient malnutrition as part of a food-based approach when and where existing food supplies and limited access fail to provide adequate levels of the respective nutrients in the diet.
- Reinforcement for ongoing food-related programmes: The food fortification reinforces and supports ongoing nutrition improvement programmes and should be regarded as part of a broader, integrated approach to prevent micronutrient malnutrition, thereby complementing other approaches to improve micronutrient status.
- Lower the risk of multiple deficiencies: Fortified foods are also better at lowering the risk of the multiple deficiencies that can result from seasonal deficits in the food supply or a poor quality diet.
- It is an important advantage to growing children who need a sustained supply of micronutrients for growth and development, and to women of fertile age who need to enter periods of pregnancy and lactation with adequate nutrient stores.
- India has yet to fully embrace the focus on nutrition: Over the past few decades, programs such as PDS, Mid-Day-Meal (MDM) and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) have evolved and improved in various ways.
- An undernourished population affects the economic growth of the nation, resulting in productivity loss and otherwise avoidable health care costs.
- Lack of substitution for good quality diet: While fortified foods contain increased amounts of selected micronutrients, they are not a substitute for a good quality diet that supplies adequate amounts of energy, protein, essential fats and other food constituents required for optimal health.
- Failure to reach target groups: The fortified foods often fail to reach the poorest segments of the general population who are at the greatest risk of micronutrient deficiency.
- The groups often have restricted access to fortified foods due to low purchasing power and an underdeveloped distribution channel.
- Technological issues relating to food fortification: It is yet be fully resolved, especially with regard to appropriate levels of nutrients, stability of fortificants, nutrient interactions, physical properties, as well as acceptability by consumers including cooking properties and taste.
- Conflict of interests among companies: It is noted that the studies which FSSAI relies on to promote fortification are sponsored by food companies who would benefit from it, leading to conflicts of interest.
- Nutrients do not work in isolation: One major problem with chemical fortification of foods is that nutrients don’t work in isolation but need each other for optimal absorption.
- Undernourishment in India is caused by monotonous cereal-based diets with low consumption of vegetables and animal protein.
- The food fortification programmes should be implemented in concert with poverty reduction programmes and other agricultural, health, education and social intervention programmes that promote the consumption and utilization of adequate quantities of good quality nutritious foods.
- While simultaneously building the sustainable approaches in bringing diversity in the dietary habits of the citizens, food fortification can be seen as one of the important ways forward in improving the health of the citizens of the country.
- The studies on the fortification of foods have shown positive results not only in the control and prevention of micronutrient deficiencies among vulnerable populations, especially women and children, but also along social, economic and environmental dimensions.
POSTED ON 02-09-2021 BY ADMIN
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