If you’ve just munched through your favouritebowl of cerealforbrekkie or a delicioussandwich for lunch,chances are you’ve eaten something that has been fortified.Breakfast cerealscan beenriched withvitamins and minerals, while milk,whether dairy or plant-based, may have extra calcium or nutrients such as vitamin A orDadded.And in yoursandwich,thiamin(vitamin B1),folicacidand iodised salt would have been added to your bread, and vitamin Dtoyour margarine.
Fortified foods have one or more vitamin or mineral added when they are made.So why are foods fortified? And are theygood for us? We’ve asked Sanitarium dietitian and Corporate Regulatory Manager Alison Oliver to answer the most common questions on fortified foods.
Are fortified foods safe?
Food manufacturers can’t simply go-to-town sprinkling vitamins and minerals into food mixes. Food fortification – whether mandatory or voluntary – is tightly regulatedbyFood Standards Australia New Zealand, which dictates whether a vitamin and mineral can be added to a certain type of food, as well as how much can be added.
Why are foods fortified?
Fortifying foods is not a new trend.The process of fortifying foodsactuallydatesback100 years,whenfood manufacturersin the USfirst addediodine to saltto help school children suffering from goitres–a swelling of theneck andthyroid glandlinked toiodine deficiency.Within a decade, seriousproblems with iodine deficiency had almost been eliminated.
The success saw fortifying foodsbecomemore common place, especially to address vitamin and mineral deficiencies during the first and second World Wars.
Today, fortified foods continue to play an important role in helping to fill the gap when it comes to vitamindeficiencies, especially for kids, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding,people oncalorierestricted dietsorpossibly evenpeoplefollowingvegetarianorvegan dietsif they arenotwell-planned.Fortified food ‘analogues’ (such as plant-based milks ormeat alternatives) withkeyvitamins and mineralsmore closely resemble the nutrient profile of their traditional dietary counterpartsandalsohelp to ensure that consumers are not missing out onimportantnutrients due to a preference or need for these foods.
Foods are also fortified to replace vitamins and minerals that may have been lostduringprocessing, handlingor storing.
What are the most common fortified foods?
It’s foodsthatpeople buy regularly, are cheapandareeateneveryday–that’s why fortifying foodsaresuch an effective way to helpbump up intakes ofkey vitamins and mineralsacross the whole population.
Breakfast cereals, bread, flour, margarine, salt, snack bars, dairy and milk and plant-based milk alternatives,juices, and baby foodsareallcommonly fortified foods.
In Australia there are some foods thatare legally required to be fortified–mandatory fortifications.
This includes:
Breads, rolls and sweet breads, even flour for baking at home–folic acid must be added to wheat flour. Folic acid or folate is important for growth and development and is vital during pregnancy. It’s been shown topreventneural tube defects,such as spina bifida, in babies.Bread must alsouseiodised salttohelppreventiodine deficiency–iodine is important for brain function.
Edible oil spreads, like margarine,must have added vitamin D.Vitamin Dis important for bone health and immunity. Our main source is sunlight,and while Australiaisgenerallyapretty sunnyplace, because of our lifestylesas many as23%of women may have a vitamin D deficiency.Not getting enough vitamin Dand calciumcan lead toosteoporosis.
Otherfoods, like milks and cereals, oftenvoluntarilychoose to include essential vitamins and minerals with known health benefits such asfolic acid, iodine, vitamin D, iron, zinc,calcium, thiamine, omega-3and plant sterols.
Are fortified foods good for you?
Yes. The reality isthe majority ofus don’t eat enough fruit, veggies, wholegrains,legumes, nuts and seedsto get all the vitamins and minerals we need naturally.
In fact, many people wouldn’t reach their daily nutritional requirements without fortified foods.For decades,fortified foods have helped to keepuswell and reduce the impact of vitamin and mineral deficiencies,which can bereallydebilitatingand even deadly.
Even today,breakfast cerealsare the leading source ofironforAussie kids.
That said,just because a product has added vitamins and minerals it doesn’t automatically makeit healthy. It’s always important to check theHealth Star Rating and choose the product with the highest rating.If a product doesn’t have a Health Star rating, check out thenutrition information panelon pack and choose foods that are lower in salt, sugar and saturated fat.
Can I eat too much of a fortified food?
It would be extremely difficult togettoo muchof a vitamin by eating fortified foods.Eating foods naturally rich in B6 (potatoes, chickpeas, bananas, poultry, fish) is safe, even inexcessive amounts.
But it’s important to be aware that if you aretakingsupplementsand eating foods that have been fortified with vitamins and minerals, you may be getting more of certain nutrients than you realise.If you’re ever worried check with your GP or a dietitian.
