Project Of Milk Fortification

Over the past two years, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) Milk Fortification Programme, which aims to resolve vitamin deficiency in consumers, has seen substantial progress.

> Fortification is performed in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) established by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and NDDB.

About the Project

> It was launched on 5 September 2017 as a pilot project by the NDDB in partnership with the World Bank and Tata Trusts.

> The goal of the project is to process approximately two million tonnes of fortified milk, reaching about 30 million customers.

> The project length is 23 months. It is sponsored and administered by the World Bank through the South Asia Food And Nutrition Protection Initiative (SAFANSI).

-- SAFANSI aims to counter chronic hunger by encouraging cross-cutting actions in South Asian countries to achieve measurable changes in the security of food and nutrition.

Malnutrition

>  It is referred to diseases caused by dietary deficiency in vitamins or minerals.

> The most common types of micronutrient malnutrition are vitamin A deficiency, anaemia (iron deficiency) and iodine deficiency disorders.

> The factors contributing to micronutrient malnutrition include poverty, lack of access to a variety of foods, lack of knowledge of optimal dietary practises and a high incidence of infectious diseases.

> High social and public costs arise from micronutrient malnutrition, diminished work capacity in communities due to high rates of disease and disability and a devastating loss of human potential.

> One of the alternatives to addressing micronutrient malnutrition is nutritional fortification or nutritional enrichment. In order to boost their nutritional value, fortification is the addition of essential vitamins and minerals such as iron, iodine, zinc , vitamin A & D to staple foods such as rice, milk and salt.

India's Micronutrient Malnutrition

> India bears the responsibility of over a fifth of the world's vitamin A deficient preschool children and more than 13 million iodine deficiency prone babies.

> According to the National Family Health Survey-4 results, in India, 38.4 percent are stunted, 21 percent are wasted and 35.7 percent are underweight among children under the age of five years.