Home fortification with multiple micronutrient sprinkles and potential health benefits

Micronutrient deficiency disorders are wide spread in developing countries. Multiple Micronutrient Sprinkles (MMS) have emerged to tackle the widespread micronutrient deficiencies. Sprinkles can be added to prepared foods with little change to the food's taste or texture. MMS are designed to provide the recommended daily nutrient intake of two or more vitamins and minerals to their target populations. The present review provides a synopsis of intervention studies assessing the efficacy of Sprinkles on nutritional deficiency disorders, acceptability and adherence. Use of Sprinkles has been shown to be efficacious in anemiatreatment as evident from the intervention trials in children. At present there is only limited evidence of the usefulness of Sprinkles in other age groups such as school going children, adolescents and pregnant mothers. However, this dietary approach seems to be promising in developing countries like India but deserves further investigations on acceptability, sensory perceptions and cost effectiveness, without changing the traditional food habits to be implemented as a preventive strategy in public health schemes.