Fortification

Key points

• Fortification involves the addition of nutrients to foods irrespective of whether or not the nutrients were originally present in the food.
• Fortification is a means of improving the nutritional status of a population (or potentially a sub-population).
• Some foods are fortified by law (e.g. white bread), others voluntarily (e.g. breakfast cereals, fat spreads).
• Safety and technical considerations are taken into account when deciding which foods to fortify and to what level.
• Fortified foods make an important contribution to diets in the UK.