Beyond Business: Fortifying Lives, Not Just Food!

Malnutrition is a major concern of any developing and growing economy. Fifty percent of rural India suffers from malnutrition as per the World Bank. Poor nutrition, both the lack of it in rural areas and excess of it in urban areas have consequences. Malnutrition is often thought of as just undernutrition, but such is not the case! Obese individuals may look or appear to be getting more than adequate food and nutrients, but the truth is that they too suffer from hidden hunger. Hidden hunger refers to micronutrients (vitamin and minerals that are required in small amounts but are crucial for the normal functioning of the body) deficiencies. Micronutrient deficiency contributes to annual losses of over 1% of the Indian GDP i.e. almost $22.6 billion. Vitamin D, for instance, has a role to play in hormonal control, in absorbing calcium to strengthen bones, and is also important for the heart, brain, immune function, and much more. Is sunlight all you need when your vitamin D levels are low? Why then are we recommended supplements? The very fact that we do not get sufficient vitamin D even through sunlight and diet is why we use a supplement to meet the deficit.