Safety of Flour Fortification with Iron

Introduction In many developing countries, fortification of flour with iron is now a feasible and costeffective strategy to reduce the prevalence of iron deficiency. In developed countries, fortification of flour with iron during the last half of the twentieth century was an essential factor in the reduction of iron deficiency. Nevertheless, in some of these developed countries, programs of iron fortification of flour have been discontinued, in part because of apprehension about possible adverse effects of iron excess. We consider here the available evidence about the safety of iron fortification of flour in developing countries.