Are we really fixing up the food supply?

Twenty years ago, in response to a general conviction that nutrition education had failed, many nutrition professionals supported fortification of the food supply with vitamins and minerals. Although the nutrition problems of most concern today are the result of macronutrient excesses, not micronutrient deficiencies, once again there is an effort to correct these problems by altering the food supply. This article reviews the arguments used to justify widespread micronutrient fortification in the years after World War II. Micronutrient fortification was undertaken without sufficient evidence of need; however, evidence is lacking that it was ineffective nutritionally. Assuming that the goal of the dietetics profession is to teach the public to select healthful diets, the energy-reduced fat substitutes, designer starches, nonnutritive sweets, and various fibers now being added to the food supply are unlikely to help nutritionists achieve that goal.