Fortified Foods—Great But Expensive

In Canada we take nutrition for granted because we are a wealthy country with diverse food options, but also because our diet includes a lot of processed foods, which are routinely fortified with essential nutrients. For instance, milk and orange juice are fortified with Vit D.

Nicaragua enacted legislation in 2006 to insure that all flour is enriched with iron and folic acid. Roberto, the owner of Party Wave, a popular breakfast and lunch WiFi restaurant in Gigante, showed me the label on a commercial bag of whole wheat flour. The label confirms the flour is enriched with iron, niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, and folic acid.

Similarly, the milk is fortified. The label on this small child size milk carton confirms the drink is fortified with iron, vitamin A, and folic acid.

Enriched foods are a terrific source of essential nutrients, but processed foods are often too expensive for a family in Gigante.

This blog was originally posted on http://helpnicaraguachildren.blogspot.com/. Please note, Dr Robson is not accepting donations at this time. However, he would greatly appreciate your comments and suggestions in support of his efforts