CAN FOOD-BASED STRATEGIES HELP REDUCE VITAMIN A AND IRON DEFICIENCIES?
A Review of Recent Evidence
54 pages / 2001
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ABOUT THIS FOOD POLICY REVIEW
Throughout the developing world, poor people subsist on diets consisting of staple foods such as rice or maize and little else.The lack of diversity in the foods they eat often leads to micronutrient deficiencies. Almost one-third of the children in developing countries are affected to some degree by vitamin A and iron deficiencies. Food-based approaches are an essential part of the long-term global strategy to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies, but their real potential has not been explored adequately. This report reviews a number of recently published studies of food-based interventions to reduce vitamin A and iron deficiencies in developing countries. It summarizes the current state of knowledge and identifies the lessons learned and the enormous gaps in knowledge that remain.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marie T. Ruel is a research fellow in the Food Consumption and Nutrition division of the International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, D.C.
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