THIS is apropos the news from Lahore about the launch of the food fortification project by the Punjab food department in collaboration with the UK Department for International Development (Oct 20).

It is good to know that the programme focuses on improving nutrition of the people in Pakistan, especially women and children. Care must be taken regarding the fortification agents to be added to wheat flour and edible ghee/oil.

Certain videos have been uploaded on social media, showing the harmful aspects of certain multivitamins owing to their synthetic parts.

For example, certain synthetic brands of vitamin B complex contain some lethal elements as part of cyanocobalamin. These lead to dangerous high levels of poison in human body, carrying damaging effects on liver and kidneys (a slow poison). Comparatively, vitamin B complex containing methycobalmin is a naturally occurring, safer analogue. Though, a bit higher in price, it cannot be substituted by cyanocobalamin.

Care must be taken to keep a check on the quality and source of additives. Cheaper, low grade, harmful fortification is practised to cut short on expenses involved in the fortification of wheat flour and edible ghee/oil.

Foreign funding in this regard should be wisely used to improve the nutrition status of our underprivileged.

Anjum Qureshi

Rawalpindi

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2017