Finding Food Sources of Vitamin A and Provitamin A

Abstract

Food-based programmes have the potential to effect long-term and sustainable solutions to the problem of vitamin A deficiency. Dietary sources of vitamin A and provitamin A, including natural and fortified food, are multiple and include a variety of plants, animals, and their fats and oils. These may be available to the community or the individual routinely or only seasonally, and their effectiveness in vitamin A nutrition is dependent on a host of issues affecting bioavailability and other health and nutrition circumstances. Procedures are now attainable to define the holistic framework of local availability and cultural acceptability of vitamin A–containing food, and the perceptions and other factors that influence its harvest, preparation, preservation, and consumption. This kind of information is essential to bring behavioural change in dietary patterns to improve vitamin A status. A wealth of information on vitamin A– and provitamin A–rich food species exists within traditional food systems of indigenous peoples. Research to scientifically define these foods, their vitamin A contents, and constraints on availability and cultural acceptability will benefit food-based strategies to prevent and alleviate vitamin A deficiency.