Fears over fortified rice
Dr Ammini K, a social activist from the Vettakuruma tribal community in Wayanad, raised concerns about the use of fortified rice distributed through ration shops.
鈥漌e collect the rice and then remove the fortified grains before cooking. People here are unsure how this iron-fortified rice might affect their health. But in schools, children don鈥檛 get that choice鈥攖hey have to eat whatever is served,鈥 she told South First.
Dr Ammini also pointed out that, since sickle cell anaemia is a genetic disorder, many affected families hesitate to speak openly about the challenges they face.
鈥漈he government is encouraging people without sickle cell disease to marry those with the condition, as a preventive strategy to stop passing it on to future generations,鈥 she added.
While the Indian medical community remained divided on the suitability of iron supplementation for people with sickle cell anemia, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has flagged the risks. According to NIH, both iron deficiency and iron overload can worsen the clinical condition of sickle cell patients. It stressed the need for carefully regulating iron levels to avoid further complications.
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Policy drama
Bengaluru-based Kavitha Kuruganti, National Convenor of the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA), and one of the few researchers in India to lead fact-finding studies on fortified rice distribution, lamented what she termed 鈥減olicy drama鈥.
鈥漈he current Food Safety Authority rules require a warning label on all iron-fortified foods, cautioning thalassemia and sickle cell anaemia patients. But after Rajesh Krishnan filed a PIL, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs argued that such labels aren鈥檛 needed. Now, the Centre is moving to repeal the regulation and withdraw warning labels. That鈥檚 the policy drama,鈥 she told South First.
鈥淪cientifically, the government says the iron dosage is too low to harm vulnerable groups. But if it鈥檚 too low to harm, how will it tackle anemia?鈥
She said India鈥檚 anaemia crisis was largely not due to iron deficiency but linked to issues like excessive bleeding. The policy wrongly assumed iron deficiency as the main cause. 鈥淲hat India needs is dietary diversity, not artificial iron through fortified rice.鈥
鈥淥ur fact-finding efforts showed that women in villages are separating fortified kernels from regular rice. The fortified rice programme is either unsafe or ineffective. It can鈥檛 be both. We believe this is largely driven by lobby groups like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF),鈥 she alleged.
Even adults don鈥檛 have the option to choose what to consume, so how could children in schools decide? 鈥淭hey are simply served cooked food. In such a situation, what is the point of talking about the right to choose or the right to know?鈥 Dr Kuruganti asked.
A senior Union Consumer Affairs source told South First that the study on fortified rice鈥檚 impact on anaemia, conducted by Tata Trusts and funded by BMGF, raised conflict of interest concerns.