Labs key to ensure fortified rice quality

New Delhi In a bid to improve rice fortification, the government has mandated that the laboratories, in which it’s tested must ensure the homogenization of forticants. Rice fortification is a welfarist measure, which is intended to address the issue of nutritional deficiencies in the food the poor eat. Fortification is done by adding fortified rice kernels (FRK) containing micronutrients (iron, folic acid, vitamin B12) to normal rice in the ratio of 1:100. Fortified rice is nearly identical to traditional rice in aroma, taste, and texture. This process is done in the rice mills at the time of milling of rice.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) prescribes the ratio of micronutrients.

A number of civil society organizations are, however, opposed to the rice fortification programme for a variety of reasons. Many opponents are Left-leaning activists—they are essentially professional revolutionaries—but the government is taking no chances anyway.

The government wants to be sure about the quality of fortified rice in order to preclude any possible row on that count, official sources told Bizz Buzz.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has stipulated that the laboratories engaged for this task must ensure periodic testing of preference materials to verify their potency and stability. The laboratories are also mandated to maintain the records of verification. They should preserve the tested material for three months at 5-10 degrees of temperature.

A total of 269 districts in 27 States have started distributing fortified rice under Targeted Public Distribution System, achieving a 100 per cent target set for Phase-II by March 2023 in the rice fortification programme.