Efforts are underway in Egypt and Yemen to fortify flour with iron to wipe out needless malnutrition.
Iron deficiency anemia is the most widespread nutritional disorder in the world, a severe health problem that affects more than 3.5 billion people. It causes a range of problems, from extreme lethargy to low birth weight, stunting, maternal mortality, miscarriage and loss of productivity. More than half the population of Middle Eastern countries is iron-deficient -- yet fortifying flour with iron costs about US $2 per person, per lifetime.
To quell the anemia epidemic in the Middle East, health professionals urge that fortified flour be used in bread. But because of complex social and cultural issues in the Middle East, fortifying flour with iron is difficult. Bread originated in Egypt and has been sacred since ancient times. Because of deeply rooted beliefs many millers refuse to add anything unnatural to their bread.
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