GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4664
TO BE ANSWERED ON 23RD MARCH, 2018
VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY
- DR. SHASHI THAROOR:
Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:
(a) whether there is any Government data on the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency in the
country;
(b) if so, the details thereof, State/ UT-wise;
(c) if not, the necessary steps taken/ proposed to be taken by the Government to ensure a data
base on the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency in various States;
(d) whether the Government has formulated any strategy to promote voluntary food fortification
after the establishment of Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulation 2006;
and
(e) if so, the details thereof along with the nature of the challenges faced by the Government in
implementing the same?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND
FAMILY WELFARE
(ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)
(a): No.
(b): Does not arise.
(c): The forthcoming round of National Family Health Survey i.e. NFHS-5 (2018-19) will
collect Vitamin-D deficiency data.
(d): In order to promote large scale food fortification, Food Safety and Standards Authority of
India (FSSAI) has established a Food Fortification Resource Centre (FFRC) in collaboration
with Tata Trusts and other International NGOs working in the field of nutrition to promote
fortification of food in open market as well as in Government Safety net programmes. FFRC is a
resource hub and engages with the Food Business Operators(FBOs) and premix suppliers
regularly to help provide end to end technical support and training in collaboration with the
development partners on ground. FFRC’s approach is to motivate, nudge and facilitate the food
industry to adopt Food Fortification as a norm and introduce fortified variants of their products.
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(e): The Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Ministry of Human Resource
Development have already advised the use of double fortified salt with iron and iodine, wheat
flour with iron, folic acid and vitamin B-12, and edible oil with vitamin A and D under their
Integrated Child Development Scheme and Mid-day Meal Scheme, respectively.
There is support from the industry where fortification is soon becoming a norm. In the
oil industry, 47% of the organized market and top manufacturers have already fortified their oils.
There are 28 companies who have come out with fortified products.
The major State cooperatives and private players are now fortifying their milk. 6 major
dairies are now fortifying their milk and 2 private dairies have come out with fortified products.
However, since there are no standards of milk powder, cow milk as of now, these dairies are
fortifying limited range only as per FSSAI standards.
In Wheat flour and Rice, due to the nature of unorganized market, there are some brands
which have started fortifying their products. In wheat flour, 8 companies which are major players
in the organized sector, have come out with fortified products and in rice there are 2 brands
which have come out in the open market.
There are at present 10 companies who have their Double Fortified Salt (DFS) in the
open market.
To make fortified food popular, Pan India campaign to generate demand simultaneously
incentivisation of the industry to make available adequate supply of such products are also
challenges. ……………….
Relevance
It is estimated that nearly 65% of our children are Vitamin-D deficiency, there is an urgent need to identify the parts of the country with higher rates of deficiency and remedial steps must be taken, especially by fortifying food.
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