Milling Journal - Q1 2008 - (Page 10)

flour or solving the whole grain vs. enriched debate, Oakley says. The U.S. Hispanic population is a major consumer of corn flour. Oakley notes the U.S. Hispanic population currently has a 60% higher spina bifida rate. Since there is no corn flour fortification standard, most U.S. corn flour products are not fortified with folic acid. Oakley notes that Gruma, Monterrey, Mexico, is the largest supplier of corn flour products in the world. Currently, the company does not enrich its products for sale in the United States. “Gruma does approximately $4 billion in sales to the United States and none of that product is enriched,” Oakley says. “It would be nice to bring a company like that on board with a cornflour fortification initiative.” Global Flour Fortification FFI’s current goal is to make flour fortification a standard practice in 70% of flour mills around the world by the end of 2008, Oakley says. Through September 2007, FFI had instituted flour fortification in 27.3% of flour mills worldwide. Oakley says FFI has seen some recent successes in China and India. After both countries began fortification standards, Oakley says the birth defect rate dropped by 90%. Countries like India and China that go from no fortification to requiring a high level of fortification often see the most dramatic drop in birth defect rates, Oakley says. Dealing with obstacles. When FFI begins fortification efforts in foreign countries, Oakley says the organization often sees a variety of similar obstacles. First, Oakley says it takes time to build up the effort’s inertia. “FFI’s current goal is to make flour fortification a standard practice in 70% of flour mills around the world by the end of 2008.” Dr. Godfrey Oakley, FFI consultant. This requires educating consumers, politicians, doctors, etc. as to why folic acid fortification is a good idea. The next big hurdle is getting over the idea that fortification will essentially affect the diet of the entire country. “To get the greatest benefit out of fortification, you have to use a food that is consumed by virtually the entire population,” Oakley says. “With flour, this is what we are doing. Any time you are proposing something that will affect an entire country’s diet, you will have a lot of questions, and rightfully so.” Another hurdle is the cost associated with fortification. Oakley says that in the case of fortifying flour, the initial cost of the equipment is often the greatest expense. Once the equipment is purchased, Oakley estimates that the actual folic acid accounts for 0.1% of the cost of the flour. In some countries, the flour milling industry is a governmentsubsidized program. Therefore, Oakley says government officials may be overly critical of the upfront cost of the equipment. However, Oakley says the return on the investment is high. “This is something that improves the health of children,” Oakley says. “So, for government-subsidized countries, fortification should lower the health-care costs associated with treating birth defects.” Josh Flint, editor 10 First Quarter 2008 Response No. 101 MILLING JOURNAL http://www.cordanopackaging.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Milling Journal - Q1 2008

Milling Journal - First Quarter 2008 Contents First Break Examining Fortification Standards IAOM 2008 Milling Short Courses 2008 IAOM Conference and Expo Melinda Farris Interview Designing a Purifierless Millflow Dirk Maier Named KSU Dept. Head NAMA’s 2008 Division Meetings Protecting Electrical Workers Miller Profiles Todd Bastean Interview Safety: How Serious Are We? Product Quality/Gwirtz Product Roundup: Magnets Pest Management/Subramanyam Explosion Protection Supplier Interview: Darin Stutler Product Reviews New IAOM Safety Award Criteria Don’t Forget OSHA Form 300A Milling Notes Great Lakes Regional Conference 4th Quarter 2007 Flour Production IAOM Reference Guide Hammermills Brushes Aspirators Level Indicators Product Reviews Magnets Mixers Packaging Purifiers Safety Equipment Screeners Separators Sifter Accessories Ad Index

Milling Journal - Q1 2008

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