Initiative on to reduce mortality by 2012
The government has taken an initiative to reduce morbidity and mortality by controlling vitamin A deficiency under a project by fortifying edible palm and soybean oil with the vitamin by 2012.
In the first phase of the project, the government is expecting to fortify 300,000 metric tonnes of edible oil with vitamin A.
The industries ministry will implement the project in partnership with Bangladesh Vegetable Oil Refiner's Association and Unicef.
Sources at the ministry said a total of 90 million children and women would be brought under the project. Of them, 16 million are under the age of five, 42 million aged 6-19 years and 32 million women of reproductive age.
The government has procured the required fortification inputs (premix and equipment) and already distributed those to edible oil refiners.
In the first phase of the project, the government will support 4-5 refiners to fortify nearly 300,000 metric tons of edible oil. Later, phase two and three of the project will be carried out to achieve the desired goal.
Training will be provided to edible oil refiners on fortification process and quality control. Besides, the government will also provide necessary technical assistance for the refiners.
In this regard, Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute (BSTI) will formulate a law to ensure quality. The quality assurance and control of the fortified edible oil will be ensured through three levels of testing.
Firstly, Unicef with the assistance from external agencies will prepare a detailed protocol for refinery level quality assurance. The government will provide quality control kits for the laboratories at the refineries.
A central laboratory will be set up at BSTI that will provide external quality control support to the participating oil refineries.
Monitoring of the quality by a third party will be placed at different levels from production to consumption.
A baseline survey will also be conducted to determine knowledge, attributes and practices of the population, the consumption pattern and oil usage in Bangladesh and clinical and biochemical status of vitamin A nutrition.
A communication strategy will be developed and used for consumers' education on fortified oil and its benefits.
Sources at the industries ministry informed that it would cost a mere Tk 0.26 per kg to fortify edible oil with vitamin A.
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