22 Differences between 'Food Fortification' and 'Supplementation'

Food fortification and supplementation are methods or techniques used to improve the nutritional status of people. These techniques are used to mitigate ‘hidden hunger’ i.e. micro-nutrient deficiency in the people/beneficiaries.

Both of these techniques have their own advantages and limitations in different contexts. Let’s have a look at the major differences between food fortification and food supplementation.

Table of Contents

22 differences between ‘Food Fortification’ and ‘Food Supplementation’ are:

Food Fortification	Food Supplementation
“The process whereby nutrients are added to foods to maintain or improve the quality of the diet of a group, a community or a population.” WHO	Food supplementation refers to supplementing/providing concentrated sources of nutrients (i.e. mineral and vitamins) or other substances that is meant to supplement nutrients in the diet
Fortification refers to the addition of vitamins or minerals to the foods in order to increase its nutritional quality	Supplementation refers to supplementing specific vitamins, minerals or other nutrients to the people in order to address their nutritional deficiency
Fortified foods usually contain added vitamins, minerals or both	Supplementation usually include specific supplement at a time
It is the addition of micro-nutrients to the food	It involves direct micro-nutrient supplementation to the targeted person
Food fortification is targeted for large proportion of population	Supplementation is targeted for small/selective proportion of population
Food fortification is done to prevent nutritional deficiency or improve the nutritional status of the people	Food supplementation are intended to correct nutritional deficiencies.
Food fortification is a food-based strategy	Supplementation is non-food-based strategy
It is done for medium to long term	It is done for short to medium term
It is given to the population with mild or moderate risk of nutritional deficiency	It is given to the population with high risk of nutritional deficiency
Food fortification is usually done in staple foods so that it will be regularly consumed by the people	Food supplementation does not require staple food as it is given directly to the targeted audience
Fortification is considered as a long-term intervention measure	Supplementation is considered as a short-term intervention measure
It is a regular and continuous process for a long period of time	Supplementation is either one-time or periodic or involves regular intake of supplements for a limited period of time
It primarily improves the nutritional value of the food	It does not involve the process of improving nutritional value of the food as it given directly to the targeted beneficiaries.
It does not have immediate impact on the nutritional status or functional outcome of the person	It has immediate impact on the nutritional status or functional outcome of the person
The purpose of food fortification is to fortify the normal diet with low dose of additional nutrients	The purpose of food supplementation is to supplement the normal diet with concentrated sources of nutrients or other substances
Fortification does not include highly concentrated form of nutrient/s	Supplementation includes highly concentrated form of nutrient/s
Some common examples of food fortification are: iodine fortification in salt, iron fortification in wheat, Vitamin A in flour, and home fortification of complementary foods with MNPs	Some common examples of food supplementation are: vitamin A supplementation to children of 6-59 months, iron supplementation to pregnant and lactating women, zinc in management of diarrhea etc.
The cost of fortified food is low	The cost of supplementation is relatively high
Foods selected for fortification should be those foods which are consumed by the majority of population	Food supplementation does not necessitate consumption by majority of population
Food fortification does not require any behavioral modification or compliance of fortified foods	Food supplementation requires behavioral modification or compliance
Overdose of nutrients is unlikely	Higher chances of overdose of nutrients, if taken in more than recommended quantity
Food fortification is relatively difficult process because it should ensure about the stability of added nutrients, appropriate interaction of added nutrient with the other available nutrients, no change in physical properties of the food etc.	Food fortification is relatively easy process as it does not involve mixture/interaction of nutrients.