Letters: Anaemic marketing

This refers to ‘Pepsi planning ultra cheap drink to fight anaemia’ (June 22). Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) and iron deficiency anaemia are widely prevalent and often coexist in the country. Fortification of food with iodine and iron is recommended to prevent and control nutritional deficiencies. Towards this, the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad, India has developed Double Fortified Salt (DFS), which provides, simultaneously, 40 microgrammes of iodine and 1,000 microgramms of iron per gram of DFS. Unless these products are launched on a commercial scale, the serious problem of anaemia cannot be tackled on a mass-scale among the poor female population.

M M Gurbaxani, Banglore