Potential of locally formulated micronutrient based flour for routine enrichment of complementary foods in northern Uganda: A review

Micronutrient deficiencies are a threat to nutritional status and overall health of children 6-24 months old. Apparently, poor diets are known as the number-one driver of the global burden of disease among children, especially in low and middle-income countries. Intake of iron, calcium, and zinc among children 6-24 months in Acholi sub-region of Uganda has been found low despite availability of nutritious locally available foods which remain underutilized. It is therefore extremely important to unravel the potential of locally available and accessible foods that are rich in iron, calcium and zinc in improving micronutrient intake in this age group. This paper focused on iron rich beans, silver fish, and amaranth grains as potential sources of iron, calcium and zinc. An extensive review of existing literature from online platform was done. Evidence shows that iron rich beans, amaranth grains, and silver fish contain all the three micronutrients (iron, calcium and zinc), and have good acceptability scores. Therefore, these foods have potential of complimenting one another when formulated into micronutrient based flour and used for routine enrichment of complementary foods of children 6-24 months thus improving micronutrient intake. Key words: Calcium, children 6-24 months, complementary foods, Iron, local fooda, Northern Uganda, Zinc