Preventing blindness: Vitamin-A fortified “Ultra Rice”

Last fall, small concrete mixers were turning as usual in rural Indonesia, but not to pour footings for new buildings. Instead, their operators were laying foundations of another kind. They were using the machines to mix Ultra Rice-a new vitamin A-fortified food product-with local commercial rices, to improve the health of communities.

Conducted by researchers at the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) and the Micronutrient Initiative, the field trials in Indonesia’s Kupang district hold promise for people where vitamin A deficiency disorders are common. Loss of vision is the most obvious result of this global public health problem, which often culminates in death. According to the World Health Organization, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines are among the 23 countries at highest risk. Each year, up to 2.5 million deaths and 500,000 cases of blindness could be prevented if at-risk populations had access to adequate vitamin A.