Food-Based Approaches for Alleviating Micronutrient Malnutrition: An Overview

Abstract

This chapter reviews current knowledge and experience with using food-based approaches in reducing vitamin A and iron deficiencies. It reviews recently published literature, highlights some lessons learned, and identifies knowledge gaps and research priorities. The main strategies reviewed are food-based interventions that aim at: (1) increasing the production, availability, and access to vitamin A and iron-rich foods through the promotion of home production and (2) plant breeding strategies that have the potential to increase the content of vitamin A and iron in diet as well as their bioavailability. The review highlights the fact that significant progress has been achieved in the past few decades in the design and implementation of food-based approaches. Evaluations however remain weak, and without rigorous, carefully conducted evaluations the real potential of food-based approaches in addressing micronutrient malnutrition cannot be fully understood. Plant breeding strategies, although they are at a much earlier stage of development, hold great promise M. T. Ruel is affiliated with the International Food

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