The Israel Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel.
School of Public Health, Faculty of Welfare and Health Sciences, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel.
Front Public Health. 2023 Mar 16;11:1052314. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1052314. eCollection 2023.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes food fortification as one of the most cost-effective and beneficial public health measures available. Mass fortification policies and regulations can reduce health disparities, including in high-income countries, by improving micronutrient intake among food-insecure or high-risk populations without changing their diet or behavior. While international health organizations have traditionally prioritized technical assistance and grants to medium and low-income countries, it is important to recognize that micronutrient deficiencies may also pose an important yet underappreciated public health problem in many high-income countries. Nevertheless, some high-income countries, including Israel, have been slow to adopt fortification, due to a variety of scientific, technological, regulatory, and political barriers. Overcoming these barriers requires an exchange of knowledge and expertise among the all stakeholders to achieve cooperation and broad public acceptance within countries. Similarly, sharing the experience of countries where the matter is in play may help inform efforts to advance fortification globally. Here we share a perspective on progress and barriers to achieve this goal in Israel, to inform efforts made to avoid the regrettable waste of unrealized human potential from prevalent yet preventable nutrient deficiency conditions, in Israel and beyond.
世界卫生组织（WHO）认为食品强化是最具成本效益和有益的公共卫生措施之一。大规模的强化政策和法规可以通过改善食品不安全或高风险人群的微量营养素摄入，而无需改变他们的饮食或行为，从而减少健康差距，包括在高收入国家。虽然国际卫生组织传统上优先为中低收入国家提供技术援助和赠款，但重要的是要认识到，在许多高收入国家，微量营养素缺乏也可能构成一个重要但未被充分认识的公共卫生问题。然而，一些高收入国家，包括以色列，由于各种科学、技术、监管和政治障碍，迟迟没有采用强化措施。克服这些障碍需要所有利益攸关方之间的知识和专业知识交流，以在国家内部实现合作和广泛的公众接受。同样，分享正在解决这个问题的国家的经验可能有助于为全球推进强化措施提供信息。在这里，我们分享了在以色列实现这一目标的进展和障碍的观点，以提醒人们注意避免因普遍存在但可预防的营养缺乏状况而浪费未实现的人类潜力，这种情况不仅在以色列存在，在其他国家也同样存在。
