Through a notice dated 23 July, 2018 the FSSAI has issued new directions with regard to the use of “Heme Iron” as a source of “Iron (Fe)”
The FSSAI had issued its first direction on the use of “heme iron” in foods on 31 May, 2017 which was related to the restriction of the use of “heme iron” in food articles. The previous direction had stated that ‘Heme Iron” will NOT be permitted as a source of Iron (Fe) in any form in any article of food. FSSAI had also instructed all Food Safety Commissioners in the States and UTs to keep a strict vigil to ensure and to enforce that “Heme Iron” is not being used in any article of food as a source of Iron.
However, now the FSSAI has clarified that
The directions issued on 31 May 2017 stated that “heme iron” shall not be permitted as a source of Iron (Fe) in any form in any article of food.
Has been changed to
“Heme Iron” shall not be permitted as a source of iron for the purpose of food fortification in the food articles specified under the existing operationalized Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulations 2018.
About Heme and Non-heme iron
Iron in foods is classified as Heme or Non-heme iron, the former comes from non-vegetarian foods like meat, poultry and fish and latter is found in cereals, pulses, legumes, nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. In India as in other developing countries iron deficiency is caused by iron-deficient diet and also low bioavailability of iron in the diet. To reduce iron deficiency the absorption of iron is very important and iron fortified foods are great source for non-heme iron. According to some studies those individuals that are highly deficient in iron absorb non-heme iron at a higher rate than those with normal iron levels.
Pregnant women, infants, young children, and adolescents have higher iron requirements and are at greater risk of developing iron deficiency. To reduce iron deficiency most staple foods like atta, maida and rice are fortified as they can reach a larger population. Main goal of FSSAI is to provide safe and nutritious food to the general public and the use of non heme iron is meant to promote fortification of food and increase availability to vegetarian population in India and at the same time it will prevent iron overload for non-vegetarian consumers.
Heme iron can increase the risk of cancer, stroke, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome under specific conditions like oxidative stress. There is also an association between high intake of heme iron sourced from meat and increased risk of colon cancer and so the use of “Heme-iron” has been a well thought out move by FSSAI.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3261306/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/increase-iron-absorption#section5
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