The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has launched a successful Milk Fortification Project intended to tackle vitamin deficiencies among consumers. It is a significant initiative, seeing significant progress in the last two years with about 25 milk federations, producer companies or milk unions across 20 states fortifying approximately 55 lakh litres of milk per day. The project follows Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) developed by the NDDB and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). To date, about one million tonnes of fortified milk have been produced.
About the Milk Fortification Project
The Milk Fortification Project was launched as a pilot project on September 5, 2017, in collaboration with the World Bank and Tata Trusts. The project aims to process approximately two million tonnes of fortified milk, reaching about 30 million consumers within its duration of 23 months. The funding for this initiative comes from the South Asia Food and Nutrition Security Initiative (SAFANSI), which is administered by the World Bank and seeks to remedy chronic malnutrition through cross-cutting actions for tangible improvements in food and nutritional security in South Asian countries.
In addition to providing consultancy services to the World Bank, NDDB provides technical and financial support to milk federations, producer companies, and unions. This assistance includes the development of SOPs for milk fortification and testing, quality assurance and control, trials, training, capacity-building, and the creation of promotional materials.
Understanding Micronutrient Malnutrition
Micronutrient malnutrition refers to diseases caused by dietary deficiencies of vitamins or minerals. Common forms include Vitamin A deficiency, Iron deficiency anaemia, and Iodine deficiency disorders. Individuals become susceptible due to poverty, lack of access to varied foods, unawareness of optimal dietary practices and high prevalence of infectious diseases. Micronutrient malnutrition results in high societal and public costs, reduced work capacity due to high rates of illness and disability, and the tragic loss of human potential.
Food fortification or food enrichment is a solution proposed to combat micronutrient malnutrition. It involves the addition of crucial vitamins and minerals such as iron, iodine, zinc, Vitamin A & D to staple foods like rice, milk, and salt to improve their nutritional content.
Milk Fortification in India
Being the world’s largest milk producer with an increased per capita milk availability of 375 g per day (2017-18), India finds milk as an ideal vehicle for fortification. With its high volume of production, widespread distribution network, affordability, and all-round acceptance in daily food habits, milk fortification can significantly contribute to improving nutrition levels.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total Milk Production in India | World’s largest |
| Per Capita Milk Availability | 375 g/day (2017-18) |
| Fortified Milk Production per day | 55 lakh litres |
| Served States | 20 |
| Federations Participating | 25 |
Micronutrient Malnutrition in India
India is facing a significant burden of micronutrient malnutrition with more than a quarter of the world’s vitamin A deficient preschool children and over 13 million infants susceptible to iodine deficiency. According to the National Family Health Survey-4 data, among children under five in India, 38.4% are stunted, 21% are wasted, and 35.7% are underweight.
The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)
The NDDB was established in 1965 with the vision to replace exploitation with empowerment, tradition with modernity, stagnation with growth, and to transform dairying into an instrument of rural development in India. Initially registered as a society, NDDB merged with the erstwhile Indian Dairy Corporation in 1987 and was declared an institution of national importance. Since its inception, the Dairy Board has planned and led India’s dairy programmes, positioning dairy development in the hands of milk producers and the professionals they employ to manage their cooperatives.
