Health and Promotion Policies and Promotion Essay

Health and Promotion Policies and Promotion - Essay Example The type of iron that is being used to fortify the soy sauce is called sodium iron ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid or NaFeEDTA. NafeEDTA is considered to be the most suitable form of iron because of its chemical stability and its effectiveness in foods that may need to be stored for lengthy period of times (Hurrell 2001). Also, NaFeEDTA does not change the taste or colour of the sauce. Soy sauce is consumed by roughly seventy percent of the Chinese population, which makes it an excellent food choice (2002). NaFeEDTA fortified soy sauce was first placed on the Chinese markets in 2002. As of 2003, the fortification programme has been funded by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, also known as GAIN (2005). The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition implemented a five year programme in the year 2004 that would develop a countrywide plan to manufacture, market, educate and supply the iron fortified soy sauce to China. ‘The goals of the programme include: annual yield of iron-fortified soy sauce in the amount of one million and eight hundred thousand tons, which accounts for thirty to fifty percent of the total soy sauce production in China; proper quality control system is to be established in all of the iron fortified soy sauce producers; the programme is to cover three hundred and sixty million Chinese residents, including one hundred and twenty-nine in high risk populations; and the reduction of the prevalence of anemia by thirty percent in the high risk populations (2005).’ GAIN’s nutritional plan also includes a programme to make the problem of iron deficiency known to the population.