Fortified foods - benefits or empty promises?

Food manufacturers are bombarding Indian consumers with advertisements of fortified foods on television, according to a recent report by market research analysts Frost & Sullivan​, but some of these are nothing more than marketing gimmicks used to differentiate products.

The report notes that the fast moving consumer goods giants have understood their target segments well and developed both mass-market and up-market products in the Indian market.

In India, most people suffer from deficiencies of iron, iodine and vitamin A, so fortified foods come in the form of wheat flour, iodized salt, calcium, vitamin-enriched jams and soft drinks, claims the report.

It explains that for cases of vitamin A deficiency, prevalent in rural areas of India, food companies have introduced specific products at affordable prices. For the up-market consumer, they have launched products such as low-sodium salt, which specially caters to blood pressure patients.

FMCG companies are aware that their products need to meet the dietary recommendations as well as have mass market appeal. But a mass-market product cannot be costly, so FMCG companies are adopting a "zero-cost" technology, for fortification, says the report.

It also adds that awareness of the term 'fortified foods' among Indian consumers is low, but there is a high awareness of certain brands, especially in the case of iodized salt. While many people may be eating fortified foods without being aware of it, approximately 30 per cent of people in India's cities regularly consume fortified foods, claims the report.

However, it continues that while fortification is beneficial to consumers, this is only the case if taken daily. Fortified soft drinks are merely a marketing gimmick to differentiate a manufacturer's products, notes Frost, as they tend to be consumed on a one-off basis. Doctors have also pointed to the cost of fortified foods, compared to vitamin tablets - a much cheaper alternative.