Health Promotion International Advance Access originally published online on June 17, 2005
Health Promotion International 2005 20(4):375-382; doi:10.1093/heapro/dai015
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An analysis of the development of Canadian food fortification policies: the case of vitamin B
1Department of Health Care and Epidemiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada and 2Department of Bioethics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4H7, Canada
Address for correspondence: Tasnim Nathoo Department of Health Care and Epidemiology, James Mather Building, 5804 Fairview Avenue, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada, E-mail: tasnim{at}interchange.ubc.ca
The concept of fortification, or the deliberate addition of synthetic vitamins to food, arose for the first time in Canada during the 1930s. The availability of new technology introduced a debate over the merits of food fortification as a tool to improve the nutritional health of the population. Through the use of two case studies, vitamin B1 (thiamin) in the 1930s and vitamin B9 (folic acid) in the 1990s, this paper examines the development of Canadian policies on food fortification. It presents early ideas about the use of food fortification to improve the health of the population, discusses shifts in attitudes toward fortification, and examines the intersections between scientific knowledge, trade considerations, and public health concerns.
Key words: food policy; fortification; nutrition