Fortified rice can reduce anaemia and zinc deficiency among poor

A new study has shown that consuming fortified rice can significantly reduce anaemia and zinc deficiencies among the poorest women in Bangladesh.

Conducted by the research centre icddr,b and on behalf of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the study measured the impact of providing rice enriched with micronutrients to women participating in the Government’s Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) programme. The study also found that fortified rice, when combined with training and cash grants for investment, can also contribute to women’s empowerment.

The study determined that the prevalence of anaemia dropped by 4.8 percent and zinc deficiency reduced by 6 percent among women consuming fortified rice. The research compared VGD women who received 30kg of fortified rice and an investment grant of BDT 15,000 (US$185), with those who received 30kg of normal (non-fortified) rice per month.

This is the first time that the use of fortified rice in a government safety net programme has been tested in Bangladesh. The VGD programme reaches more than one million ultra-poor women and their families, totalling about five million people, giving it enormous potential reach.

"The findings are very promising," said Christa Rader, WFP Representative in Bangladesh. "Now we have a much better understanding of how integrating fortified rice into government safety net programmes can help improve women’s micronutrient status."

The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs has allocated more than US$1 million to distribute fortified rice in 35 regions covered by the VGD programme in the fiscal year 2017-2018. The Scaling-up Rice Fortification Initiative is supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh and implemented by various government agencies in collaboration with WFP