Background and regulation on zinc fortification levels

Abstract

WHO su.?g?sted the following preliminary considerations when planning micronutrient fortification programs and establishing appropriate levels of fortification: 1) Heolth authorities looking to initiate o micronutrient fortification program should not do so without first collecting food intake data, supported by ancillary information such as biochemical dato on nutritional status; 2) Food intake information is necessary for the following reasons: to justify the fortification program; to moke an informed choice about the types and amounts of specific nutrients to include; to understand which foods would make suitable vehicles for fortification. Finally, it should be kept in mind that the goal of zinc fortification is to ensure adequate intakes of zinc by the targeted individuals, without imposing a risk of excessive intake on the rest of the population.