Wheat Flour Fortification: A Policy Idea Whose Time Has Come

By Tony Senanayake

The National Convening on Food Fortification to Reduce Iron-Deficiency Anaemia was held in Delhi on November 4, bringing together leaders from academia, government, civil-society organisations and the private sector to discuss how to eliminate the scourge of hidden hunger that continues to weaken the nation. 

Hidden hunger—micronutrient deficiency—is an invisible disease affecting more than two-thirds of Indian children under five and over half of pregnant or lactating women. It robs millions of physical strength, learning potential and economic productivity. Anaemia, the most prevalent form, stems largely from a lack of iron in the diet and leads to fatigue, developmental delays and poor maternal outcomes. 

India has taken major steps to address this crisis through the nationwide rollout of rice fortification across social-safety-net programmes—an initiative that the Government of India recently extended through 2030. Yet a large gap remains: nearly 40 per cent of Indians, particularly in northern and western states, consume wheat rather than rice as their staple food. 

Mr Pawan Agarwal, CEO of the Food Future Foundation and former CEO of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), noted that India has already done the hard work—building regulatory frameworks, testing systems, supply-chain infrastructure and training mechanisms to scale rice fortification. “The next logical step,” he said, “is to build on this success to reach populations that primarily consume wheat.” 

The convening carried an unmistakable tone of optimism. Dr Rajan Sankar, former Senior Advisor at Tata Trusts, reminded participants that fortification is not a new idea: “The challenge now is scale, speed and urgency to truly eliminate hidden hunger.” Mr Alok Ranjan, former Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, argued that nutrition must be viewed as a long-term investment in human capital, demanding political will, administrative leadership and efficient implementation. 

Private-sector representatives from The Akshaya Patra Foundation to premix vendors, equipment suppliers, and the Wheat Promotion and Production Society underlined their readiness to contribute, recognising that businesses are central to ensuring India’s nutritional security. 

Speakers agreed that scaling wheat-flour fortification will require four key enablers.

1. Leadership and Policy Coherence

Participants highlighted the absence of a clear nodal department, either at the Centre or in states, to lead the anaemia-reduction agenda. Alignment among public-distribution and school-meal schemes and the Ministries of Health, Education, and Women and Child Development is essential. Political and administrative coherence can ensure that fortification moves from aspiration to implementation.

2. Implementation Quality and Evidence

Success will depend on strong regulation, rigorous quality assurance and credible local evidence. Co-conveners IIT Delhi and the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) noted that while abundant global evidence demonstrates the benefits of wheat-flour fortification, India must build its own data through high-quality evaluations and well-designed pilot programmes.

Dr Prashanth Thankachan of St John’s Research Institute stressed embedding evaluation design in all future pilots, while Dr Sirimavo Nair of MS University reminded participants that fortification must complement, not replace, existing supplementation programmes. 

3. Cost-Effectiveness, Innovation and Technology

Fortification remains among the most cost-effective public-health interventions. Wheat flour can be fortified for less than ten paisa per kilogram—cheaper than rice fortification—while delivering comparable health gains. The economic logic is compelling: minimal cost, enormous social and productivity benefits. 

Technological innovation is making the process even more efficient. Ms Kalpana Bessabathuni of Hornbill Technologies shared an AI-based breakthrough that measures iron content in flour samples in real time, dramatically improving speed and accuracy. Equipment manufacturer, along with testing agencies demonstrated that India’s technical ecosystem is already capable of supporting large-scale implementation. 

4. Public Awareness and Data Communication

Hidden hunger must be made visible. Policymakers and citizens alike need to understand both its scale and its cost. Drawing on lessons from rice fortification, participants called for creative strategies—national awareness campaigns, visible labelling in school-meal programmes and collaborations with chefs and social influencers—to transform fortification from a policy initiative into a public movement. 

Ms Vedeika Shekhar of NITI Aayog emphasised that India’s nutrition story must be told through clear, relatable data drawn from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) and the Household Consumption and Expenditure Survey (HCES). Communicating progress transparently can sustain political attention and citizen engagement. 

From Momentum to Movement

The National Convening marked a pivotal step forward. India has already demonstrated bold leadership through rice fortification. Now, a coalition of government, academia, industry and civil society stands ready to complete the mission. 

The path ahead is clear: strengthen institutional leadership, invest in quality and evidence, harness innovation and affordability, and communicate the urgency of ending hidden hunger.

If rice fortification laid the foundation for a healthier India, wheat can be its next frontier. With collective resolve and political will, the country can eliminate hidden hunger within the decade—ensuring that every household, in every state, enjoys not only food security, but true nutrition security.

(Tony Senanayake is the CEO of Fortify Health, a non-profit working to reduce iron-deficiency anaemia through large-scale wheat-flour fortification.)