Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who will supervise the fortification of these products?

The manufacturers themselves should have a system for supervising the fortification of their products as part of their quality assurance program. Government will also perform monitoring and regulatory functions through the appropriate regulatory agencies like the BFAD, PCA, NFA and local government units.

2. Is it safe to fortify?

It is safe to fortify food. The levels being recommended are within very safe levels. Additionally, the fortificants used are approved internationally by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agricultural Organization.

3. What role does the Government play in fortifying foods?

The Government is responsible for ensuring that food is correctly fortified, is safe and of high quality; that claims are accurate to prevent exaggerated or misleading claims; and that the population is informed about food fortification and its benefits.

4. What role does the food industry play in fortification?

The food industry is responsible for fortifying foods in accordance with the fortification regulations and labeling the products correctly.

5. Is it okay if a child will eat fortified food everyday?

Yes. At the current fortification level stipulated by RA 8976, there is no danger of over dosage due to fortification, even if a child eats fortified food everyday. In a study conducted by Dr. Ritu Nalubola on vitamin A, the most common fortificant in many staples, he concluded that “at the currently practiced levels of fortification, enormously high and practically impossible amounts of these foods would have to be consumed daily to reach the vitamin A toxicity threshold for humans”.

6. What are the effects of food fortification on the price of products?

The cost of fortification for flour and oil is about 1% of production cost. For rice and sugar which goes through a different process of fortification, the cost ranges from 2% to 3%. A study has shown that consumers don't mind paying additional cost for fortified staples as long as they are aware of the benefits.

7. What are the effects of food fortification on the product, like taste and appearance?

When done according to good manufacturing practice, food fortification does not affect shelf life, flavor and appearance of food. These have been validated by sensory tests conducted by different research and nutrition agencies, which showed no appreciable difference in their color, odor and taste.

8. What are the effects of baking and cooking on fortified foods?

Tests showed fortified rice, sugar, cooking oil and wheat flour may be cooked or baked in the same way as the unfortified form. While stability studies have shown some losses in vitamin A due to heat, the residual level is still within globally accepted standards. No losses in iron level have been reported due to cooking or baking.

9. Are the penalties too high for retailers or food service establishments?

RA 8976 mandates the fortification of staples and gives the responsibility for this to manufacturers, tollees, producers and not to retailers. Hence, retailers will not be sanctioned. However, local government units can formulate ordinances which will apply to retailers and food service establishments to strengthen the implementation of the law.

10. How can we make sure that the foods we buy in the market are genuinely fortified?

The Sangkap Pinoy Diamond Seal from DOH will differentiate the fortified staples from the non-fortified staples. This is the consumers' guarantee that the product has met the fortification standards of government. To further strengthen monitoring, test kits for vitamin A and iron will soon be available just like the test kits being utilized to check iodine in salt on the spot.