Fortification of Wheat Flour With Iron: A National Fortification Program in Iran

Food fortification with iron can be an inexpensive, simple and effective strategy for controlling and preventing iron deficiency and anemia in many countries . Since iron deficiency was one of the main public health problems in Iran, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOH&ME) started technical and pilot studies on subjects about 16 years ago (in 2001). Based on the results obtained and the consensus that bread, the national staple food, was an ideal vehicle for iron fortification, a 6-year pilot study was conducted with wheat flour fortified with 30 mg iron and 1.5 mg folic acid per kg, in Bushehr province in the south of Iran. The study was a success; therefore, the project was scaled up to the whole country as a national program in 2007.