It seems almost all the foods we buy and eat are either enriched and or fortified and that is a big selling point for the food industry. There is a difference between enriched and fortified foods and does this always mean these foods are healthy. And where do those vitamins come from that they fortify our foods with?
What Are Enriched Foods
Enriched means that the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that were lost during the refining process were put back in the food.
Refined white flour products are a good example. The vitamins and nutrients were taken out during the milling process and then put back in enriching the product.
Refined wheat products lose their vitamin B when refined. When you see made with enriched wheat flour on the label; that means that the vitamin B and other vitamins were put back into the wheat product.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that all or 100% of the vitamins and minerals that were taken out during the refining process were put back in. It might only be 10% the amount of original naturally occurring vitamins that are put back into the food, enriched back in.
What Are Fortified Foods and Fortified Drinks
Fortified foods or drinks have vitamins and minerals added to it, that the food or drink either had little of or none of naturally before a refining process.
In other words, a food that had very little or no vitamin C (or other vitamins and minerals) in its natural form but does after it is processed is a fortified food or drink.
For example, milk is fortified with vitamin D. Milk naturally has very little vitamin D in it, so the added vitamin D means it is fortified. Orange juice is fortified with calcium because oranges naturally have little calcium. Many fortified cereals have as much as a 100% daily value of vitamins added to them.
In many cases, these vitamins and minerals that are sprayed onto processed fortified foods are not good quality vitamins and minerals either.
Health Benefits of Fortified Foods
The reason that milk is fortified with vitamin D started during the 1930s in the US. Rickets was a problem at that time and vitamin D was added to milk to keep children from getting rickets.
Since vitamin D needs calcium to be absorbed, milk was a perfect choice. During the 1940s, this fortified milk reduced the rate of rickets in children by 85%.
Wheat products are fortified with folic acid and have reduced the incidence of birth defects. This is mandatory in some countries including Canada and the US.
Wheat products are fortified with folic acid and have reduced the incidence of birth defects. This is mandatory in some countries including Canada and the US.
Enriched or Fortified Does Not Always Mean Healthy
Many foods today are using the word fortified or enriched on their labels and in ads hoping consumers will think that these foods are health foods.
Cereals are a good example of this, using the term fortified with 25% to as high as 100% of the daily recommended value of certain vitamins. Yet that same cereal might still be high in sugar or sodium.
Foods fortified with omega-3 fatty acids are becoming common. Some not-so-good examples include refined white bread, margarine, cookies, ice cream and artificially flavored and sugary children’s drinks.
Health Claims on the Label
This is one area of concern with both the FDA and Health Canada. Junk food labels might boldly and legally make healthy claims when all they are is still junk food and processed foods with added vitamins and nutrients.
You still have to read the ingredients label and decide.
According to laws of certain countries like Canada and the US, a food or beverage label can contain the phrases like “High Potency” or “A good source” of a certain vitamin or nutrient if that food or beverage meets certain requirements.
According to laws of certain countries like Canada and the US, a food or beverage label can contain the phrases like “High Potency” or “A good source” of a certain vitamin or nutrient if that food or beverage meets certain requirements.
In the US, a label can say “High Potency” only if the claim of the high potency mineral or vitamin is 100% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI).
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) law states that a food or beverage can claim “A High Source” of a vitamin or mineral only if the food contains at 20% of that certain vitamin or mineral.
For a label to have the phrase “A Good Source of” a certain vitamin or mineral, that food or beverage has to have between 10% and 19% of the Daily Value (DV) or RDI of that nutrient.
In Canada, the law states that the label can say “A Good Source of” a certain vitamin or mineral only if the food or beverage contains at least 10% of the Daily Value of that vitamin or mineral.
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) law states that a food or beverage can claim “A High Source” of a vitamin or mineral only if the food contains at 20% of that certain vitamin or mineral.
For a label to have the phrase “A Good Source of” a certain vitamin or mineral, that food or beverage has to have between 10% and 19% of the Daily Value (DV) or RDI of that nutrient.
In Canada, the law states that the label can say “A Good Source of” a certain vitamin or mineral only if the food or beverage contains at least 10% of the Daily Value of that vitamin or mineral.
Are We Over-Fortified
The fortified food industry seems to have found more and more ways to fortify our foods and drinks, from pasta with calcium to ice cream with omega-3.
We have all kinds of processed foods and beverages of all kinds fortified with vitamins and minerals. For example, throughout the day, you eat a bowl of Total cereal for breakfast with its claim of 100% of the daily value of numerous vitamins and minerals, take a multi-vitamin and drink several bottles of vitamin water or other fortified drinks.
For dinner, you have some fortified processed meal or you might even have a healthy meal with naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. Are you over-fortified?
According to the labels, you would have had much more than the daily value of many vitamins and minerals. Is that bad? Too much vitamin A is bad, too much vitamin D can be bad and for many people, all this extra iron is not healthy either.
According to the labels, you would have had much more than the daily value of many vitamins and minerals. Is that bad? Too much vitamin A is bad, too much vitamin D can be bad and for many people, all this extra iron is not healthy either.
When Fortified Foods are Needed
In many countries where malnutrition is a problem, fortified foods are very helpful to the health of these people.
Sometimes when there is famine, drought, war or political turmoil the food supply can be limited. In many cases, these fortified foods are the only way some can get the needed vitamins and minerals for survival.
The Philippines and other countries the government has mandated that certain foods be fortified. In the Philippines rice is fortified with iron, refined sugar and cooking oil has to be fortified with vitamin A.
In most countries, iodized salt can still be very important as many are deficient in iodine. Using iodized salt can ward off health problems with the thyroid and goiters.
Fortified food in many countries including the US has helped stave off many diseases and dietary deficiencies.
The Philippines and other countries the government has mandated that certain foods be fortified. In the Philippines rice is fortified with iron, refined sugar and cooking oil has to be fortified with vitamin A.
In most countries, iodized salt can still be very important as many are deficient in iodine. Using iodized salt can ward off health problems with the thyroid and goiters.
Fortified food in many countries including the US has helped stave off many diseases and dietary deficiencies.
Enriched and Fortified Foods in the US
The problem with so-called enriched and fortified foods is the overabundance of fortified junk and processed food, which can actually lead to many people lacking certain vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. So these unhealthy foods being worse than they were in their whole food form.
Conclusion
Don't be fooled by bold health claims that this or that food is the best just because it is an enriched and fortified food.
Always read the ingredients to make sure you are not getting too many unhealthy additives along with those added vitamins. Whole foods are always the best sources of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.
About the Author
Sam Montana is a certified Food Over Medicine instructor from the Wellness Forum Health Center and certified in optimal nutrition from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Copyright © 2011-2019 Sam Montana
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