Food fortification spurred by military purchases
Researchers conduct comprehensive review of food
fortification history in the U.S.
Food fortification with vitamins and
minerals is one of the most effective methods to improve health and prevent
nutritional deficiencies. It is greatly responsible for the virtual eradication
of disease such as goiter, rickets, beriberi, and pellagra in the United States.
New research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests
that developing nations could implement successful food fortification programs
by requiring fortified foods for their military personnel. The conclusions are
based on a detailed review of the history of food fortification programs in the
U.S., which is published in the January 22, 2003, edition of the journal
Economic Development and Cultural Change.
"Food fortification in the U.S. was accomplished with a great deal of
cooperation between the food industry and public forces. Historically, food
producers have been eager to supply fortified food once it was proven it could
be profitable," said David Bishai, PhD, co-author of the review and assistant
professor of population and family health sciences at the Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Many of the industrial and market forces in
the U.S. do not apply to developing nations, but our research shows that
governments can take steps to encourage manufacturers to fortify food for the
public. One way may be to have military purchasers demand only fortified
products."
Dr. Bishai and co-author Ritu Nalubola, examined the major waves of food
fortification in the United States, which include the iodization of salt in the
1920s, fortification of milk with vitamin D in the 1930s, enrichment of flour
and bread in the 1940s, and the wide spread addition of calcium to a variety of
products beginning in the 1980s. For salt, milk, and bread, food fortification
was accomplished by establishing the health benefits through scientific research
and enlisting the support of food manufacturers. In most cases, manufactures
found the measures to be profitable after appealing to consumers with
advertising and public service campaigns. Widespread compliance was often
achieved through market demand rather than through government mandates.
Governments are often large food purchasers and can influence industry.
However, the researchers noted that efforts to enrich bread and flour were
particularly slow because there was little public interest or economic
incentive. The situation did not change significantly until World War II, when
Britain began to manufacture only enriched flour and started a public campaign
to improve the nation's health during wartime. Despite similar patriotic
campaigns in the U.S., only 40 percent of the nation's manufactured flour was
enriched, because smaller companies continued to produce cheaper unenriched
flour to compete with larger manufactures. In 1942, the U.S. Army decided it
would purchase only enriched flour. The move encouraged many more manufacturers
to produce enriched flour, but 100 percent compliance was not reached until 1943
when the War Foods Administration temporarily required enriched bread. Today,
the Food and Drug Administration does not restrict the sale of unenriched
products as long they are properly labeled, but most flour remains enriched with
B vitamins, iron, and folate because of consumer demand.
"The flour enrichment efforts during World War II can be an important model
for developing nations attempting to build successful food fortification
programs," said Dr. Bishai.
###
"History of Food Fortification in the United States: Its Relevance for
Current Fortification Efforts in Developing Countries" was written by David
Bishai and Ritu Nalubola.
The research was funded by the Hopkins Population Center at the Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Sumber:Contact: Tim Parsons or Kenna Brigham,
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410-955-6878,Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg
School of Public Health
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Fortifikasi 
