Fortified rice

Fortified rice

Part of: Prelims and GS II – Policies and interventions

Context: The Central government has approved the distribution of fortified rice across government schemes such as the public distribution system, and nutrition services for school children and anganwadi beneficiaries.

• The entire cost of the scheme of Rs. 2,700 crore will be borne by the Centre until it is fully implemented by June, 2024.
• The initiative will be implemented in three phases.
  • In the first phase, anganwadi centres under Integrated Child Development Services and PM POSHAN (or erstwhile mid-day meals) will be covered.
  • This was slated to be achieved by March 2022, but is still under implementation.
  • The second phase will cover targeted public distribution systems and other welfare schemes in all 291 aspirational districts as well as districts with a high burden of stunting by March 2023.
  • In the final phase the remaining districts of the country will be covered by March 2024.

What is Fortification?

• Fortification is the addition of key vitamins and minerals such as iron, iodine, zinc, Vitamin A & D to staple foods such as rice, milk and salt to improve their nutritional content.
• These nutrients may or may not have been originally present in the food before processing.

Fortification of Rice

• According to the Food Ministry, fortification of rice is a cost-effective and complementary strategy to increase vitamin and mineral content in diets.

News Source: TH