• India has very high levels of malnutrition among women and children. According to the Food Ministry, every second woman in the country is anaemic and every third child is stunted.
• Fortification of food is considered to be one of the most suitable methods to combat malnutrition. Rice is one of India’s staple foods, consumed by about two-thirds of the population.
• Per capita rice consumption in India is 6.8 kg per month. Therefore, fortifying rice with micronutrients is an option to supplement the diet of the poor.

Rice Popularity

• As one of the world’s most widely consumed foods, rice plays a significant role in many diets around the globe.
• In low income countries, it can make up to 70% of an individual’s calorie intake.2 Though it is a great source of energy, it is a poor source of micronutrients and has a low overall nutritional value beyond carbohydrates and protein. This is because the milling process that produces white rice removes the fat, as well as the more nutrient-rich bran layers.
• Parboiled rice, brown rice and bio-fortified rice (for example high-zinc rice) are more nutritious compared to white rice in one or a few essential micronutrients. This is due to different paddy processing or utilizing more nutritious rice varieties.
• Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are also an issue outside of low-income countries, affecting most regions worldwide at varying levels. While malnutrition is often associated with those not consuming enough calories, the lack of essential vitamins and minerals in ample or high calorie diets is a prominent issue, known as ‘hidden hunger’.

Malnutrition

• India stands at the 101st position among 116 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2021 report. In India, women and children are facing a severe level of malnutrition.
• According to the Food Ministry, every third child is stunted and every second woman is anemic in the country. Also known as hidden hunger, the deficiency of micronutrients or micronutrient malnutrition causes serious health problems.
• About 30 percent of the world’s stunted children and 50 percent of severely wasted children under the age of 5, live in India.
• Protein deficiency has serious implications on human health, labour productivity and general well-being.
• According to the Global Nutrition Report 2020, India is among 88 countries that are likely to miss global nutrition targets by 2025.

When first fortification was tested in India?

• Historically, India has tested this idea of fortification by mandating iodised salt in 1962.
• India has made impressive progress in reducing stunting and anemia among children over the last decade. However, anemia still impacts more than one in two children and women.
• The WHO has declared anemia among women and children as a “severe” public health problem, demanding immediate attention.
• Further, recent statistics indicate rise in anaemia levels amongst among women and children in 16 and 18 of 22 States/UTs respectively (NFHS-5).
• Iron deficiency-anemia is the biggest cause of disability for the past 10 years and contributed 20 per cent direct and 50 per cent associated maternal deaths in India. Its economic burden is equivalent to about 4 per cent of GDP.
• Apart from iron, deficiency in micronutrient like vitamin B12, vitamin A, folate and zinc also contribute to rising anaemia levels.
• Evidence suggests vitamin B12 deficiency impacts one in six pre-school children and one in three adolescents; folate deficiency in one in three school-aged children and one in four adolescents (CNNS, 2016-18). As each of these MNDs except for vitamin D deficiency is a known nutritional cause of anemia, it is indeed imperative to address them in anemia combat strategy.
• “What India Eats”, a recent report by ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, shows low consumption of nutritious food like fruits, vegetables, milk, pulses, meat, poultry and so on.
• CNNS 2016-18 also highlights that only 6 per cent and 9 per cent of children between 6-23 months consume the minimum acceptable diet and iron rich food, respectively. There is a gap of nutritious dietary intakes when compared to Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA).
• For instance, 75 per cent and 50 per cent lower iron amongst rural population and adolescents; 50 per cent lower vitamin A; and 50-75 per cent lower folate and riboflavin.
• Rice, a staple cereal, is consumed by 65 per cent of the population at the rate of 6.8 kg per capita per month.
• Fortifying rice with micronutrients thus is an ideal vehicle and offers an immediate opportunity to bridge dietary nutrient gaps and improve health outcomes, particularly among vulnerable populations.
• The Prime Minister’s announcement of universalisation of rice fortification by 2024, will cover about 100 crore target population, including about 20 crore women of reproductive age.

Where central government had started the pilot programme for Rice Fortification?

• With a view to addressing the issue of malnutrition, the Consumer Affairs Ministry’s Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) launched a three-year pilot programme for the fortification of rice and its distribution through the Public Distribution System (PDS) in 2019-2020.
• Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh have each launched the scheme in an identified district with a total of 15 states designated for implementing the pilot.
• Given that rice tops the distribution tally for government safety-net programmes such as the PDS, Mid-Day Meal, Integrated Child Development Services, which have “the potential to reach 800 million vulnerable people in India, especially women and children", food fortification has been made a key part of the National Nutrition Mission (Poshan Abhiyan), which was launched in 2018.
• Milled rice generally is low in micronutrient content because its nutrient-rich superficial layer is removed during rice milling and polishing operations. This makes the grain taste better and visually appealing but less nutritious," the Centre has found.

POSHAN Abhiyaan:

• Also called National Nutrition Mission, was launched by the government on the occasion of the International Women’s Day on 8th March, 2018.
• The Abhiyaan targets to reduce Stunting, undernutrition, Anemia (among young children, women and adolescent girls) and reduce low birth weight by 2%, 2%, 3% and 2% per annum respectively.
• It also targets to bring down stunting among children in the age group 0-6 years from 38.4% to 25% by 2022.
• It is an umbrella scheme covering the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) (Anganwadi Services, Poshan Abhiyan, Scheme For Adolescent Girls, National Creche Scheme).
• It was announced in Union Budget 2021-22 by merging supplementary nutrition programmes and the POSHAN Abhiyaan.
• It was launched to strengthen nutritional content, delivery, outreach and outcome, with renewed focus on developing practices that nurture health, wellness and immunity to disease and malnutrition in the country.

Who around the world is fortifying rice?

• Rice fortification is currently compulsory in six countries: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and the Philippines. It is also mandatory in six states in the US.
• In Costa Rica, since 2001, rice is required to be fortified with vitamins B₁ (thiamin), B₃ (niacin), B₁₂ (cobalamin), E, folic acid, selenium and zinc. Along with the fortification of salt, wheat flour and milk, this is considered to have helped improve the country’s micronutrient status.
• Fortification itself is not a new concept.
• It has served as a popular method of improving public health for more than 90 years. While over 30% of industrially milled wheat flour and almost half of industrially milled maize flour is fortified worldwide, efforts to fortify rice are relatively new. About 1 - 1.5% of industrially milled rice is fortified.

Identification of Fortified rice             

• Fortified rice will be packed in jute bags with the logo (‘+F’) and the line “Fortified with Iron, Folic Acid, and Vitamin B12”.

Benefits

• Ease of use: This is one of the biggest benefits of fortification. As a widely used staple food, it is simple to replace standard rice with fortified rice to boost the nutritional profile of a simple diet.
• Cost: The specific costs of fortified rice depend on several factors, such as the scale of the operation and the blending ratio of fortified to non-fortified kernels - most commonly 0.5-2%. However, rice fortification costs are small compared to the wide-reaching benefits.
• Consistency: It looks, cooks, and tastes the same as non-fortified rice.
• Reducing micronutrient deficiencies: Rice fortification can support a country to significantly reduce micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs), though this does rely heavily on successful and wide-reaching implementation.

How does the extrusion technology to produce FRK work?

• In extrusion technology, dry rice flour is mixed with a premix of micronutrients, and water is added to this mixture.
• This mixture then goes into a twin-screw extruder with heating zones, which produces kernels similar in shape and size to rice.
• These kernels are dried, cooled and packaged for use. FRK has a shelf life of at least 12 months.
• As per guidelines issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the shape and size of the fortified rice kernel should “resemble the normal milled rice as closely as possible”. According to the guidelines, the length and breadth of the grain should be 5 mm and 2.2 mm respectively.
• According to a Unicef report, over 247 million children enrolled in elementary and secondary education and 28 million children who are attending pre-school education in anganwadi centres are at risk of childhood malnutrition.

Technologies to add micronutrients –

• Dusting – Rice kernels are dusted with a micronutrient powder, relying on an electrostatic force to bind the dry powder to the surface of the grain. Fortified rice produced by dusting cannot be washed or cooked in excess of water.
• Coating – This method involves the use of a fortificant mix and ingredients such as wax or gum to ‘fix’ the micronutrient layer being sprayed onto rice. The fortified kernels are blended with regular rice, typically at 0.5 – 2% ratio.
• Hot or warm extrusion – Hot extrusion is considered the most robust method of rice fortification. Broken rice grains are ground into rice flour, then mixed with water and the required nutrients to produce a dough. The fortified dough is then passed through an extruder to produce the fortified kernels, similar in shape and size to rice. These kernels are dried, cooled and packaged for use. They are blended with regular rice typically at 0.5-2% ratio.
• The temperature at which the extrusion takes place determines whether it is hot or warm extrusion and has an influence on the rice starch gelatinization and thus firmness of the produced fortified kernels.
• Extrusion is considered to be the best technology for India.
• Fortified rice kernel has a shelf life (FRK) of at least 12 months.