Malnourishment, obesity, under and over nutrition is a growing problem in India across economic segments. Fortification of food with micronutrients and enrichment with value added ingredients will help in addressing the nutrition deficiency challenge facing the country
Food is a complex socioeconomic and political commodity in India. But the first function of food is often overlooked. Food, first of all, is a source of nutrition. Adequate nutrition is vital for a body that is energetic, healthy and functionally fit. The right nutrition is also critical to ensure correct cognitive function. If the first challenge, for a country like India, is to ensure food security for all its population, then the second, and perhaps equally important, challenge is to ensure adequate nutrition among the population. Given the large scale of both, the problem and the large number of people impacted, food fortification of staple foods and enrichment with value added ingredients, at scale, may be the most accessible and effective solution.
The Economic Times in association with DuPont Nutrition & Health organised an interactive discussion on the subject. The title was “Fortification of Staple Foods with Value Added Ingredients".
The panel consisted of Brahmani Nara, Executive Director, Heritage Foods Ltd.; Deepika Warrier, VP, Nutrition Category, Pepsico; Arun Mishra, EVP and Head Regulatory Affairs - ISC/GSK; Dr TSR Murali, Chief R&D Officer, Mother Dairy; Vikram Grover, President - Water Vertical, Tata Global Beverages Ltd.; Deepak Bhandari, Director – Group Strategic Initiatives, Modi Mundi Group; Ruchika Chugh Sachdeva, Team Leader, Nutrition, PATH; Jan Delbaere, Deputy Country Director, World Food Programme - India; Subodh Marwah, Head – Global Consumer Healthcare, Sun Pharma; Thomas Hahlin Ahlinder, Sr Vice President, Marketing & Innovation, DuPont Nutrition & Health; Dr Yongjing Li, Regional President - Asia Pacific, DuPont Nutrition & Health; Parth Patel, Business Director, South Asia, DuPont Nutrition & Health. The session was moderated jointly by Debashish Mukherjee, Partner, Asia Pacific, AT Kearney and Himangshu Watts, Senior Editor - Energy & Commodities, The Economic Times.
In India, nutritional imbalances and deficiencies are not linked to food access alone. Nutrition is a growing problem even amongst those segments of the population that have easy access to food and can afford it. Food habits and shifts in eating trends are causing even the economically advantaged to be nutritionally challenged.
It’s essential to have the right amount of macro and micro nutrients in the food we eat. Macronutrients provide the structural components of food on which health and well-being is dependent and is also critical for absorption of several vitamins like A, D, E, K, etc., and thus, in many ways, is a pre-requisite for discussing food in a holistic way.
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Part of this lack of awareness is reflected in the rising health burden, with the rise in a wide of range of diseases across population segments in India. But this is also where disparate nature of the nutrition problem prevalent in India is most visible.
In the top half of the population pyramid we are witnessing a rise in lifestyle related diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular problems. Much of this rise is being attributed to the paucity of the right nutrition. In the bottom half of the pyramid, hunger and malnourishment co-exist cheek by jowl. The impact of malnutrition is costing India real money as millions are being spent on healthcare.
Historically, food fortification has been limited to vitamins which have served as a public health measure to address population-wide nutrient deficiencies. But moving towards value ingredients, common issues of today’s health-conscious consumer searching for foods with additional health benefits, can be easily addressed. Functional value ingredients for consumers such as proteins, cultures, probiotics, functional carbohydrates and dietary fibre play a key role in the health and wellness recipe. These ingredients significantly improve the nutritional profiles of many foods and beverages delivering benefits of weight, wellness, increased immunity and digestive health while not compromising on taste and texture of our local foods.
Fortification requires neither changes in existing food patterns, habits nor individual compliance. It is socio-culturally acceptable and does not alter the characteristics of the food. It can be introduced quickly and can produce nutritional benefits for populations in a short period of time. Ideally, fortified staple food not only meets consumer needs and preferences but also addresses nutrition, regulatory, safety and technical constraints. In a nutshell, it is safe and cost effective, especially if advantage is taken of the right application expertise and technology coupled with delivery platforms.
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Thomas Hahlin Ahlinder, Senior Vice President Global Sales, Marketing & Innovation, DuPont Nutrition & Health
Q. What, for DuPont, are the key areas for focus with regards to consumer food choices in India?
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We are committed to using science and innovation to overcome the food challenges of today and tomorrow. Some of the important areas for us in the health and wellness space are:
Cultures and Probiotics: Scientifically proven to help keep the digestive system running smoothly and to support the body’s immune system.
Soy Protein: Deliver high-quality protein nutrition, reduce formulation cost, and enhance sensory performance; provide all the essential amino acids; health benefits include support for heart health, appetite control (satiety), and muscle maintenance
Functional Carbohydrates: Help meet the growing demand for sugar and calorie reduction; flavour enhancement; non-cariogenic dental benefits
Q. On a macro level, which socio-economic trends will impact the food industry globally and specifically in India?
Global consumer behaviours are changing and food market dynamics are evolving rapidly. Some of the key global socio-economic trends that are impacting food security and health in the 21st Century are:
Population Growth & Food Security: The world’s population will reach 9 billion in 2050. One in nine people on earth do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life 1. There is a rising middle class with more disposable income and greater appetites for food in developing countries. Satisfying the expected food and feed demand will require a substantial increase of global food production of 70 percent by 2050 to keep pace with the world’s food security needs2.
Obesity and Health & Wellness: In developed as well as developing nations like India, obesity levels have hit epidemic proportions among children and adults. Consumers are demanding healthier product choices than ever before in an effort to eat a healthy diet, lose weight and live longer.
The Global, 24 Hour-7 Days per Week Food Supply: Maintaining food quality and safety is a critical imperative because the food supply is truly global, with millions of metric tons of food and ingredients moving across borders and around the world every day.
Affordability: Many consumers continue to focus on cost as the primary driver in their food decision making, and we need to make sure we can continue to produce safe, tasty, nutritious and affordable food choices
Social Consciousness: Consumers, shareholders, NGO groups and stakeholders reward companies that conduct their business in a responsible way and utilize their immense resources for the common good. Food waste or losses have an impact on the production of greenhouse gas emissions and consequently on climate change. Q. Why does the Indian food sector need to embrace food fortification and enrichment with value-adding ingredients?
The hectic pace of life can lead to inadequacies in the diet, even in well-endowed societies people are increasingly looking at fortified foods to make up the deficiencies. Food fortification and enrichment with value adding ingredients has for one reason or the other emerged as a non- complicated way to improve the nutritional value of a diet. Indeed, in many countries fortification of staples is mandatory, to replace nutrients lost through food processing or to reduce the prevalence of identified deficiencies. Consumers today are making more informed choices and paying greater attention to preventive healthcare. Functional value ingredients for consumers such as proteins, cultures, probiotics, functional carbohydrates and dietary fiber play a key role in the health and wellness recipe. They significantly improve the nutritional profiles of many foods and beverages delivering benefits of weight, wellness, increased immunity and digestive health while not compromising on taste and texture of our local foods.
Q. DuPont Nutrition & Health in India…
Catering to the Indian local food palette and consumer needs, DuPont opened its Food Innovation Application Center at Gurgaon in March 2015 to serve the vast food industry in India. Our innovation, sales and marketing teams work closely with leading food companies in India, be it start-ups, local, regional or global to understand and offer world-class food solutions which are good to taste, high in nutrition, offer convenience and are safe to consume. We offer a wide range of application expertise and solutions across bakery, beverage, dairy, ice-cream and frozen desserts and local food industry.
Our key offerings for the Indian consumer include systems and texturants, emulsifiers, proteins, cultures and probiotics.
DuPont Nutrition & Health also has an existing blending facility for specialty ingredients in Sohna, Haryana.
