Deficiency Anemia (IDA), as indicated by low hemoglobin levels, is a problem of serious public health significance in Pakistan, severely affecting large sections of the population. Infants, children from up to five years of age and pregnant lactating women constitute the population groups most vulnerable to IDA. The adverse effects of iron deficiency and anemia on children’s and women’s health, development and survival are tremendous. The social cost of these problems calculated in terms of work output, loss of productivity and poor school performance is staggering. The deleterious effects of iron deficiency also include high maternal mortality, high pre-natal mortality and high rate of pre-mature births. More than 20% of maternal deaths are believed to be directly related to iron deficiency anemia. Among children IDA is responsible for increasing morbidity and can prevent them from attaining an additional 5 to 10 IQ points. Anemia can affect resistance to infections and might cause abnormalities in brain function.

Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA), as indicated by low hemoglobin levels, is a problem of serious public health significance in Pakistan, severely affecting large sections of the population. Infants, children from up to five years of age and pregnant lactating women constitute the population groups most vulnerable to IDA. The adverse effects of iron deficiency and anemia on children’s and women’s health, development and survival are tremendous. The social cost of these problems calculated in terms of work output, loss of productivity and poor school performance is staggering. The deleterious effects of iron deficiency also include high maternal mortality, high pre-natal mortality and high rate of pre-mature births. More than 20% of maternal deaths are believed to be directly related to iron deficiency anemia. Among children IDA is responsible for increasing morbidity and can prevent them from attaining an additional 5 to 10 IQ points. Anemia can affect resistance to infections and might cause abnormalities in brain function. Realizing the severity of the problem, the Government of Pakistan in its 9th 5 years plan committed to promote the control of this nutritional problem through wheat flour fortification as a long term measure to combat IDA. However before its implementation at the national level some aspects such as stability, acceptability and bio-availability etc. had to be established for its feasibility.

The stability and acceptability components of this national project were conducted at NIFA (PAEC) at Peshawar. These studies clearly indicated the feasibility of flour fortification under the prevailing production, distribution, storage and consumption pattern of wheat flour in the country. These R&D studies provided a solid foundation for national level wheat flour fortification programme in the country.

Consequently a grant of US $ 3 million was provided by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) to the Nutrition Wing, Ministry of Health for implementation of the programme. A project management unit (PMU) was established in the Nutrition Wing, Ministry of Health, Islamabad and the programme was formally inaugurated by the Federal Ministry for Health. It is anticipated that when the project is running at full scale in 2010, 45% of Pakistan “atta” flour will be fortified and 74.2 million people will be consuming this product regularly. It is hoped that with the full scale implementation of the iron fortification of wheat flour programme, the overwhelming population of the country will get rid from the menace of IDA.

The QA/QC system for the project is being developed in consultation of NIFA scientists. Additionally that institute is helping in the analysis of the fortified flour samples on regular basis.

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