Implementing micronutrient fortification programs as a potential practical contribution to achieving sustainable diets

• Published in: Nutrition bulletin Vol. 48; no. 3; pp. 411 - 424
• Main Authors: Fatemi, Seyedeh Fatemeh, Irankhah, Kiyavash, Kruger, Johanita, Bruins, Maaike J., Sobhani, Seyyed Reza
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-09-2023
• Subjects: biofortification; Climate change; Diet; Environmental impact; food fortification; Food plants; Food preferences; Food security; Food sources; micronutrient deficiencies; Micronutrients; Nutrient deficiency; Public health; Sustainability; sustainable diet; micronutrient deficiencies; biofortification; food fortification; sustainable diet
• ISSN: 1471-9827; 1467-3010
• DOI: 10.1111/nbu.12630

Due to sustainability concerns related to current diets and environmental challenges, it is crucial to have sound policies to protect human and planetary health. It is proposed that sustainable diets will improve public health and food security and decrease the food system's effect on the environment. Micronutrient deficiencies are a well‐known major public health concern. One‐third to half of the world's population suffers from nutrient deficiencies, which have a negative impact on society in terms of unrealised potential and lost economic productivity. Large‐scale fortification with different micronutrients has been found to be a useful strategy to improve public health. As a cost‐effective strategy to improve micronutrient deficiency, this review explores the role of micronutrient fortification programmes in ensuring the nutritional quality (and affordability) of diets that are adjusted to help ensure environmental sustainability in the face of climate change, for example by replacing some animal‐sourced foods with nutrient‐dense, plant‐sourced foods fortified with the micronutrients commonly supplied by animal‐sourced foods. Additionally, micronutrient fortification considers food preferences based on the dimensions of a culturally sustainable diet. Thus, we conclude that investing in micronutrient fortification could play a significant role in preventing and controlling micronutrient deficiencies, improving diets and being environmentally, culturally and economically sustainable.