Читать книгу Hidden Hunger and the Transformation of Food Systems - Группа авторов - Страница 40

Rapid globalization and urbanization in developing countries have incited major changes to the landscape of food, especially transformations in food processing and modernized supply chains. This is observed upstream with trade liberalization and foreign direct investments by transnational food and beverage companies, including grocery and fast-food retailers. Downstream, a systemic shift in the composition and packaging of foods, as well as the ease of acquiring these foods is apparent. In the context of hidden hunger, reduction of processed and ultra-processed foods, as well as the introduction of large-scale fortification, are strategic solutions to ensuring children and adolescents meet their nutritional requirements [21].

Specifically, large-scale food fortification (LSFF) efforts have targeted the introduction of iron, vitamin A, folic acid, and iodine through various staples, including wheat, oil, rice, sugar, and salt to increase the micronutrient content of consumed foods. In some cases, fortification has been mandated and regulated by governments in response to evidence of population or subpopulation deficits in micronutrient deficiencies. In a recent review and meta-analysis, LSFF showed positive impacts on functional health outcomes in children and adolescents, including anemia and goiter in LMICs [22, 23]. Sustainable implementation of LSFF requires continual monitoring and quality control to ensure high compliance and effectiveness.