Food fortification is often thought of as a public policy requirement, intended to address dietary deficiencies. However, it is often a business decision, to provide additional nutrients and health benefits within a food product. Fortification is a powerful method of benefitting public health as it requires no dietary changes, and if formulated correctly, it does not impact the final product.
As consumers increasingly pursue healthy foods, actively seek out products with health benefits and search for specific nutrients, fortification is becoming a way for manufacturers to add value to their offerings. But what nutrients should brands be adding to their products to see the biggest benefit, and why?
Positive nutrition
The term positive nutrition is used somewhat interchangeably with fortification, as it refers to adding good ingredients (such as vitamins and minerals) to a product, in an amount that can benefit health. One company that has made the pledge to double the number of their products that deliver positive nutrition by 2025 is Unilever [1]. Utilising the opportunity of new product launches as a way to deliver more positive nutrition, Unilever are leading the way by introducing nourishing products such as dry soups, which are produced with natural ingredients.
As well as consciously adding beneficial macronutrients such as protein and fibre to their products, there are certain micronutrients that Unilever have highlighted as being of particular importance when it comes to the fortification of food products – one of these is the essential nutrient iodine.
The importance of iodine
Despite public health initiatives to combat malnutrition, micronutrient deficiency remains prevalent globally – impacting health outcomes on a huge scale. The critical role of iodine within early development has led Unilever to begin The Iodine Initiative, a programme aimed at raising awareness around iodine deficiency, as well as addressing it through fortification. But what is iodine, and why is it so important?
Iodine is an essential trace mineral and a key component of thyroid hormones – giving it an important role in healthy growth, development and metabolism. It’s a particularly important nutrient during pregnancy, due to its critical role in foetal neurological development. It is imperative for women who are hoping to conceive to ensure they’re including enough iodine in their diet, due to foetal neurological development commencing in very early pregnancy [2]. This widely undervalued nutrient remains essential throughout life, having a major role in thyroid health, cognitive function and the nervous system.
Iodine deficiency
Despite iodine deficiency being the most preventable cause of intellectual disability, around 1.9 billion people worldwide remain deficient in the mineral [3] – this corresponds to 31% of the world’s population. Deficiency does not only prevail only in developing countries, but remains a major public health challenge within developed countries too. In fact, the UK ranks seventh among the ten most iodine-deficient nations in the world [4]. Furthermore, in 2021 the Iodine Global Network reported (from an EU funded study) that Europe is now an iodine deficient continent [5].
Those following a more plant-based diet have been identified as particularly at risk of experiencing iodine deficiency [6]. This is because the main sources of dietary iodine are from dairy products and white fish – food groups of which consumption is in decline, due to the rise in plant-based and flexitarian diets. With more and more people removing or reducing animal food sources from their diets, the issue of iodine deficiency is exacerbated.
The natural solution
The demand for products that provide health benefits continues to grow, and there is a clear need to address the growing concern of iodine deficiency. As demonstrated by Unilever, fortification of food products with iodine is one way of tackling this public health challenge. With 47% of global consumers looking for natural ingredients in their food products [7] – how can natural fortification be achieved?
As the only natural, plant-based source of iodine, seaweed offers a clean-label way to fortify products with the essential nutrition that they lack. PureSea® seaweed ingredients are measured every batch for iodine levels, with safe and consistent levels evidenced over many years of production. In addition to this, every batch is uniquely DNA authenticated to ensure full and transparent traceability.
Just 100mg of PureSea® is needed per serving to provide a good source of iodine and allowing for the use of six approved health claims, surrounding supporting normal:
- Energy-yielding metabolism
- Cognitive function
- Thyroid function
- Skin health
- Growth of children
- Functioning of the nervous system
PureSea® is available in a range of formats, allowing ease of use in a variety of applications.
Click here to view the full range, or contact us.
[1] https://www.unilever.com/planet-and-society/positive-nutrition/positive-nutrition-and-fortification/
[2] Burns, K., Yap, C., Mina, A. and Gunton, J.E. (2018) ‘Iodine deficiency in women of childbearing age: not bread alone?’, Asia Pacific Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, 27(4), pp. 853-859
[3] Pearce, E.N., Lazarus, J.H., Moreno-Reyes, R. and Zimmermann, M.B. (2016) ‘Consequences of iodine deficiency and excess in pregnant women: an overview of current knowns and unknowns’, The American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, 104(3), pp. 918-923
[4] The Lancet (2016). Iodine deficiency in the UK: grabbing the low hanging fruit. Diabetes & Endocrinology, 4(6) pp. 469.
[5] The Euthyroid Consortium (2018) The Krakow Declaration on Iodine: Tasks and responsibilities for prevention programs targeting iodine deficiency disorders. European Thyroid Journal.
[6] Weikert, C., Trefflich, I., Menzel, J., Obeid, R., Longree, A., Dierkes, J., Meyer, K., Herter-Aeberli, I., Mai, K., Stangl, G.I., Muller, S.M., Schwerdtle, T., Lampen, A. and Abraham, K. (2020). Vitamin and mineral status in a vegan diet. Deutsches Arzteblatt.