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23 minutes agoAuthor: Shivakant Shukla

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India Malnutrition is a big problem in India. The survey of the Government of India itself says that 35.5% of our children below 5 years of age are victims of malnutrition. To deal with this situation, the government took a big decision on 9 October. The government has approved distribution of fortified rice in place of normal rice in all its free ration schemes.

The central government has decided to distribute fortified rice under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and other welfare schemes. The government will spend Rs 17,082 crore on this scheme by December 2028.

Its objective is to remove anemia and micronutrient deficiency among people. In such a situation, the question arises that what is fortified rice and how is it different from normal rice.

so today ‘News of need’ In this we will talk about fortified rice. We will also know the answers to all the questions related to this from the experts.

Expert- Dr. Poonam Tiwari, Senior Dietitian, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow

Scary figures of malnutrition in India

First of all, it is important to know that 74% of the population in India does not get a healthy diet and 39% of the people are deficient in adequate nutrients. See the figures in the graphic below.

Question- What is fortification? What does it mean to fortify food?

answer- The English word Fortify means to strengthen something, to create a protection shield. What we mean by fortifying food here is to increase its nutrients. Food fortification is a process in which the amount of essential vitamins and minerals in a food item is increased. So that the nutritional quality of food improves.

Question: What is fortified rice?

answer- Rice is a regularly consumed staple food in many countries. However, people in these countries are also deficient in micronutrients on a large scale. In such a situation, some micronutrients like iron, folic acid, B-complex vitamins, Vitamin-A and zinc are mixed separately in this rice. These are the nutrients which are the basic needs of our body. These are not usually found in rice or are lost during processing. Therefore, after fortifying rice, essential nutrients are added to it. Rice prepared in this way is called fortified rice.

Question- What is the difference between fortified rice and normal rice?

answer- There is not much difference between the two types of rice apart from extra nutrients. Although it can be identified by some things. Know about this through the graphic below.

Question- How is fortified rice prepared?

answer- This rice is prepared in three ways. Read about this in the pointers below.

through coating

For this, normal rice is immersed in nutrient liquid. The liquid can also be sprayed over the rice. This method is only useful in countries where people do not wash rice before cooking.

through dusting

Under this process, nutrient liquid is sprayed on normal rice. After this it is dried. This creates a layer on the rice. Fortified rice made by dedusting cannot be washed or cooked with too much water.

through extrusion

Flour is made by grinding rice grains. It is then mixed with nutrients and cooked to form grains like rice. These grains are then mixed with normal rice. Hot extrusion is considered to be the most effective method for fortifying rice.

Question- How much fortified rice does India produce?

answer- According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, India produced 7,250 tonnes of fortified rice in 2018, but by the year 2022 this number will increase to about 60,000 tonnes per year. The government had launched a scheme to distribute fortified rice in 11 states in the year 2019. Till May, 2021, 1.73 lakh metric tonnes of fortified rice was distributed under this scheme. By February, 2022 this number increased to 3.64 lakh metric tonnes. Now its production is increasing rapidly every day.

Question: What does the World Health Organization’s guidelines say about fortified rice?

answer- The World Health Organization (WHO) views fortified rice as an important public health strategy. According to WHO, malnutrition is a big problem in the world today. People need iron, folic acid, vitamin A and micronutrients. These are the main reasons for fortifying rice-

Rice is a staple food in a large part of the world.
It is easily grown.
It is easy to store.
The process of fortifying rice is relatively easy. Therefore WHO recommends eating fortified rice.

Question: How is fortified rice eaten?

answer- It is cooked and eaten like normal rice. There is no special process to cook it. This is just normal rice. Only it contains some extra nutrients.

Question: Which are the main nutrients added to rice in the process of fortification?

answer- To make rice nutritious, many vitamins and minerals are added to it. See the graphic below-

Question- Is it only for people suffering from malnutrition or can other middle class people also eat fortified rice?

answer- Absolutely. Anyone can eat it. The extra nutrients present in it are beneficial for every person. People who are not poor or who have easy access to food may also be deficient in essential nutrients.

Question- Is fortified rice more expensive than normal rice?

answer- According to the Food Fortification Initiative (FFI), fortified rice may be slightly more expensive than normal rice, but the difference in price is only between 0.5 to 3%. There is not so much difference in the price of both that it cannot be afforded.

Question- Can eating fortified rice cause any harm to health?

answer- Generally there is no harm in eating it. The World Health Organization and UNICEF, a UN agency working for children, recommend feeding fortified rice to meet the nutritional needs of children.

However, it also has a risk factor, which in medical language is called hypervitaminosis. This condition arises when the amount of vitamins and nutrients in the body exceeds the requirement.

But experts believe that today excess nutrition is not a problem in the whole world, rather malnutrition i.e. not meeting the basic nutritional needs of the body is a bigger problem.

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