Is the national food fortification programme successful? The case of folate status

Abstract

The findings of the National Food Consumption Survey of 1999 identified, among other parameters, the foods most commonly consumed in the country by type and amount, and paved the way for the statutory fortification of maize and wheat products. The legislation was enacted in April 2003 and implemented in October of the same year. Thanks to the tireless efforts of many role players in government, academic institutions and the food industry, South Africa became one of the many developing and developed countries that have implemented food fortification as a means of addressing micronutrient deficiencies (Ireland being the latest developed country to adopt this approach voluntarily).