Ruchi Soya to expand Edible Oil Fortification initiative to curb malnutrition in India

New Delhi [India], Jan 24 (ANI): Agri and Food FMCG major Ruchi Soya Industries on Tuesday announced its plans to expand its Edible Oil Fortification initiative and play a role in curbing malnutrition in India. The company has been voluntarily fortifying its leading edible oil brands Mahakosh, Sunrich and Nutrela with Vitamin A and D since 2014, cumulatively impacting 12 million consumers every month across the country. The household brand informed that it will benefit 15 million households every month by 2018 with Fortified Edible Oils. Moreover, the company also has plans to include Ruchi Gold, reckoned amongst the market leader and the largest-selling refined palm oil brand across the country in its fortification programme in the near future. The proposed move is likely to have huge benefits as Ruchi Gold caters to over 20 million households per month including consumers in the low income group. "We are now happy to announce the expansion of our fortification initiative which will benefit more and more consumers; specially the low income group households and play a role in combatting the malice of malnutrition in the country," said MD Ruchi Soya, Dinesh Shahra. "It is only recently that the FSSAI has released draft standards for fortification of edible oil along with other items; but Ruchi Soya has been voluntarily fortifying it's four of its key edible oil brands since 2014; thereby positively impacting 12 million households every month," said COO- Ruchi Soya, Satendra Aggarwal. The loss due to micronutrient deficiency costs India one percent of its GDP. This amounts to a loss of Rs. 27,720 crore per annum in terms of productivity, illness, increased health care costs and death. Every day, more than 6,000 children below the age of five die in India. 50 percent of above deaths are because of malnutrition-mainly the lack of Vitamin A, iron, iodine, zinc and folic acid. About 57 percent of pre-schoolers and their mothers have subclinical Vitamin A deficiency. Anaemia prevalence among children under five years is 69 percent and among women it is over 55 percent in a recently concluded national study. The consequences of micronutrient malnutrition are unacceptably high morbidity and mortality. (ANI)