Several ongoing trials will evaluate the impact of providing multiple micronutrients to children and women in developing countries. The addition of other micronutrients adds relatively little to a supplement's price, most of which reflects the cost of packaging and distribution. The same obstacles to lowering the prevalence of iron deficiency, however, will plague the effectiveness of multiple-micronutrient programs. The sustainable solution to multiple micronutrient deficiencies must be the discovery and implementation of innovative, affordable ways to improve poor people's diets. This probably will require consumption of more animal products, where these are culturally acceptable.
Fortified foods are another logical strategy.
Even in the United States, flours and cereal products are enriched with iron, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and sometimes calcium. The latter group tends to believe that the answer to good nutrition is to produce more income-generating crops, when it would be more effective to consider the impact of agricultural products themselves on the nutritional needs of populations. Additional interaction is needed to bridge the gap between food production and nutrition security. When the potential improvement in human capital is considered, investing in the prevention of micronutrient deficiencies is indeed cost-effective.