Food Fortification in the United States

Abstract

Formulas for the fortification of nutrients have remained essentially unchanged for the half-century in which the U.S. government has had a fortification policy in place. During that period, the classical micronutrient deficiencies have disappeared, but changes in the U.S. food supply have occurred and concerns about adequate intakes of other micronutrients have emerged. In 1974 the Food and Nutrition Board published its "Proposed Fortification Policy for Cereal Grain Products." Of the six fortification endorsement conditions outlined in the policy statement, three do not meet the stated criteria or today's needs. New approaches to address this situation are proposed.