Thiruvananthapuram | Experts on Monday underscored the crucial role of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRKs) in addressing malnutrition and anaemia collectively in the country.
They said that FRKs have been scientifically proven to be nutritious, cost-effective, scalable and sustainable and thus provide a comprehensive solution to nutritional challenges.
The experts were speaking at stakeholders meeting on FRKs organised by CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST) on its campus at Pappanamcode here. The institute is a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
In his inaugural address through videoconferencing, H N Mishra, Emeritus Professor, (Food Technology), IIT Kharagpur, said that in the pursuit of a comprehensive strategy to eradicate micronutrient malnutrition, fortification has emerged as an efficient and cost-effective alternative.
Mishra said that as per WHO data, globally about 37 per cent of pregnant women and 40 per cent of children under the age of five suffer from iron deficiency, which merits urgent intervention.
As per the National Family Health Survey 2021, about 58 per cent of children, 57 per cent of women and 22 per cent of men in India are anaemic.
"To address anaemia and micro-nutrient deficiency, the Government of India allocated a total budget outlay of Rs 174.64 crore for a period of three years from 2019-20 under a pilot scheme under PM's POSHAN Abhiyaan. It envisages distribution of fortified rice through the public distribution system," he said.
Mishra said the initiative has reached around 12 crore children and 10.3 crore women across the country. The government aims to reach 50 crore beneficiaries under the scheme by 2024. Commodities that are being fortified in India are milk, oil, wheat, rice and salt.
According to him, effective implementation of the fortification of the rice programme requires quality control, quality analysis, regulatory standard and coordination among stakeholders.
C Anandharamakrishnan, Director, CSIR-NIIST, in his presidential address, said that there are currently 18,227 rice mills equipped with rice-nutrient blending infrastructure, indicating a widespread capacity for producing fortified rice.
Citing that grain fortification has the potential to reduce anaemia and improve iron and vitamin levels, he said CSIR-NIIST will come up with its own FRK soon.
"Since food security is a concern, we need healthier products and focus on fortification of grains. To balance over-nutrition and under-nutrition, we need to look for alternative proteins," he said.
Suggesting that FRK is a good business to start, Anandharamakrishnan said the fortified rice market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.3 per cent and reach a market size of USD 28.4 billion by 2027.
Milli Asrani, Programme Policy Officer, Food Technology, United Nations World Food Programme, New Delhi, said fortification of rice provides an opportunity to add micronutrients lost during milling and polishing. It also helps add other micronutrients such as iron, zinc, folic acid, vitamin B-12 and Vitamin A.
Noting that milling of rice removes fat and micronutrient rich bran layers to produce the commonly consumed starch-white rice, she said polishing further removes 75-90 per cent of Vitamin B-1, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin E and Niacin.
Commenting that food fortification is a global intervention that addresses the issue of micronutrient deficiencies, Asrani said it is scientifically proven, cost-effective, scalable and sustainable.
Citing WHO studies, she said fortification costs only USD 0.05 to USD 0.25 per person per year.
"Currently, there are more than 600 FSSAI-registered FRK manufacturers in the country. Iodisation of salt is a successful food fortification process in India," Asrani said.
The apprehension that fortified rice is plastic rice and FRK causes change in taste and smell of rice is completely baseless, she added.
