Abstract
Fortification is an important component of the Philippine Plan for Action on Nutrition. Several programmes are described for the fortification of commonly consumed foods, such as rice, margarine, sugar, salt, oil, and wheat flour, with essential micronutrients, especially vitamin A, iron, and iodine, to satisfy dietary gaps for these nutrients. The overall programme is designed to be spearheaded and implemented by the food industry, while the government is to provide necessary support through policy, technology development and transfer, and incentives to encourage the participation of food manufacturers.
The objective of the government's Sangkap Pinoy seal programme is to encourage food manufacturers to market high-quality fortified food products. The seal is awarded to manufacturers who are able to meet standards for fortifying products with vitamin A, iron, or iodine. The seal makes the general public aware of the availability of fortified foods with assurance of quality and, thus, encourages consumption of fortified products.
The prerequisites for a successful food-fortification intervention include advocacy, technology development and testing, stability studies, market testing, and field trials. Most fortification efforts have fulfilled these requirements, with the exception of a field trial to determine the efficacy of a fortified food in improving the nutrient status of a target group. Simple, rapid, and low-cost assessment methods to determine fortification levels must be developed to assist food manufacturers in their quality assurance monitoring activities. Moreover, the skills and abilities of village nutrition workers must be harnessed for monitoring fortified foods at the village or household level.