Original Research Article
Year: 2020 | Month: July | Volume: 10 | Issue: 7 | Pages: 277-282
Consumer Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of using Fortified Food in India: A Study among Women in Urban Delhi
Premkumar1, Vandana Garg2
1Student of Postgraduate in Nutrition and Dietetics (2018-2020), Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Faridabad, Haryana-121004, India
2Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Faridabad, Haryana-121004, India
Corresponding Author: Vandana Garg
ABSTRACT
Background: Food fortification has been proven to be one of the effective strategies to combat micronutrient deficiency around the world. Many staple food items are fortified with vitamins and minerals such as wheat flour, cooking oil, milk, and salt. Still, micronutrient deficiencies are one of the major public health problems globally.
Objective: The study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices towards the usage of fortified food among urban females of Delhi.
Materials and Methods: Data for this community based cross-sectional study were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. A total of 150 urban women aged 18-30years were selected from four areas in Delhi, India.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 23.2±3.3 years. 56.6% of participants were aware of the term food fortification and 48 % knew about the food fortification logo on food labels of pre-packaged food items. More than fifty percent knew that food fortification prevents micronutrient deficiency. 69.8% of participants thought that food fortification is important and 61% of participants had no problem paying more for buying fortified food. The Participants reported no difficulty in cooking fortified food (61.7%).
Conclusion: The knowledge and practices of using fortified food were low among women. Mostly women are the ones who cook and purchase food in India. Therefore, it is important to create awareness about prevalent micronutrient deficiencies and the importance and identification of fortified food available in their local market.
Key words: Micronutrients, Micronutrient Deficiency, food fortification, knowledge, attitude, practice.