Plan to fortify oils with vit A, D to boost immunity

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 26

The government is working on a plan to make it mandatory for all edible oils to be fortified with vitamins A and D to address general malnutrition issues and boost immunity amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The compulsory fortification announcement is on the cards with India’s apex food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), hand-holding the industry. FSSAI Chief Executive Officer Arun Singhal said, “We are considering making it mandatory to fortify edible oils with vitamin A and D so that people can enjoy better immunity with good health. This will ensure that people have easy access to fortified edible oil.”

The Food Fortification Resource Centre within the FSSAI will provide the necessary technical support required for the process. At present, 69 per cent (7.94 million tonne per annum) of packaged edible oil sold pan India is fortified.