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Technical standards for large-scale fortification of wheat or maize flour
This indicator provides information on documentation of standards or regulations that define the technical requirements for large-scale fortification of wheat or maize flour.
The technical details encompassing the implementation, regulatory monitoring and enforcement of flour fortification with vitamins and minerals are necessary to operationalize the legislation mandating fortification of wheat or maize flour. In the case of voluntary legislation, documentation of the regulations that define the technical requirements of flour fortification may also be required.
Documentation of technical standards or regulations approved by the appropriate authority or technical committee (e.g. a multisectoral committee appointed by the Standards Bureau) for fortification of wheat or maize flour: Yes/No
Considerations for the calculations:
• The content of the documentation will be locally defined but may cover implementation, regulatory monitoring and enforcement.
guidelines, legislation, mandatory, regulation, standards
Food fortification
Activity
Policies
School age children, 12-23 months, 24-35 months, 36-47 months, 48-59 months, 6-11 months, Adolescents, Men, Other (not any of the above, post-menopausal women, elderly), Women of reproductive age
None,
Copper, Folate, Iron, Niacin, Selenium, Vitamin A, Thiamine (vitamin B1), Vitamin B12, Riboflavin (vitamin B2), Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Zinc
Market-based
Technical standards or regulations can describe in detail all aspects related to implementation, monitoring and enforcement of large-scale fortification of wheat or maize flour, including, but not limited to, the type of flour to be fortified, the nutrients to be added, the type and amount of fortification compound (or fortificant) to be used, the tests to be used to verify that flour is fortified, the roles and responsibilities of inspectors and custom agents, and penalties for non-compliance.
This indicator is easy and feasible to collect.
The technical standards or regulations provide a blueprint for many components of implementation, monitoring and regulatory enforcement.
The existence of approved standards or regulations does not guarantee they cover the scope of specifications that ideally should be regulated, or that they will be followed or enforced.
A country has food regulations that cover the following topics that are specific to fortification: labelling requirements for vitamin and mineral premix (whether domestically produced or imported); minimum nutrient levels that fortified wheat flour must contain; the type of iron compounds that can be added to fortified wheat flour; and the governmental entities involved in food inspection and their roles and responsibilities. It identifies another legal document that describes the sanctions that are levied by food inspectors for violations of the food regulations.
For this indicator, the response was “Yes”, technical standards are in place for large-scale fortification of wheat flour with vitamins and minerals.
Allen L, de Benoist B, Dary O, Hurrell R, editors. Guidelines on food fortification with micronutrients. Geneva: World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; 2006 (http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/43412/1/9241594012_eng.pdf, accessed 30 October 2015).