Lok Sabha Question No. 4664 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-23
Subject: Vitamin D Deficiency
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: SHASHI THAROOR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4664 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23 RD MARCH, 2018

## VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY

## 4664. DR. SHASHI THAROOR:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  there  is  any  Government  data  on  the  prevalence  of  Vitamin  D  deficiency  in country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State/ UT - wise;
- (c) if not, the necessary steps taken/ proposed to be ta ken by the Government to ensure a data base on the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency in various States;
- (d) whether the Government has formulated any strategy to promote voluntary food fortific after the establishment of Food Safety and Standards ( Fortification of Foods) Regulation 2006; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof along with the nature of the challenges faced by the Gove implementing the same?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a): No.
- (b): Does not arise.
- (c): The forthcoming round of National Family Health Survey i.e. NFHS - 5  (2018 - 19)  will collect Vitamin - D deficiency data.
- (d): In order to promote large scale food fortification, Food Safety and Standards Autho India  (FSSAI)  has  established  a  Food  Fortification  Resource  Centre  (FFRC)  in  collabora with  Tata  Trusts  and  other  International  NGOs  working  in  the  field  of  nutr ition  to  promote fortification of food in open market as well as in Government Safety net programmes. FFRC resource  hub  and  engages  with  the  Food  Business  Operators(FBOs)  and  premix  supplier regularly  to  help  provide  end  to  end  technical  support  and training  in  collaboration  with  the development partners on ground. FFRC's approach is to motivate, nudge and facilitate the food industry to adopt Food Fortification as a norm and introduce fortified variants of their p

(e): The Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Ministry of Human Resource Development have already advised the use of double fortified salt with iron and iodine, flour with iron, folic acid and vitamin B - 12,  and edible oil with vitamin A and D u nder their Integrated Child Development Scheme and Mid - day Meal Scheme, respectively.

There is support from the industry where fortification is soon becoming a norm.  In oil industry, 47% of the organized market and top manufacturers have already fortified th There are 28 companies who have come out with fortified products.

The majorState cooperatives and private players are now fortifying their milk. 6 dairies are now fortifying their milk and 2 private dairies have come out with fortified However, since there are no standards of milk powder, cow milk as of now, these dairies are fortifying limited range only as per FSSAI standards.

In Wheat flour and Rice, due to the nature of unorganized market, there are some b which have started fortifying their products. In wheat flour, 8 companies which are ma jor players in the organized sector, have come out with fortified products and in rice there are which have come out in the open market.

There are at present 10 companies who have their Double Fortified Salt (DFS) in open market.

To make fortified food popular, Pan India campaign to generate demand simultaneousl incentivisation  of  the  industry  to  make  available  adequate  supply  of  such  products  a challenges.

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