Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 4 — Narrative / commentaryPeer-reviewed

Global biofortification progress

Smith, L.C. et al.

2020

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Summary

This review, published in Nutrition Reviews, appears to provide a comprehensive assessment of global progress in crop biofortification — the process of increasing the micronutrient content of staple foods through plant breeding or agronomic practices. It likely synthesises evidence from HarvestPlus and allied programmes across multiple crops and regions, evaluating both agronomic performance and nutritional outcomes. The paper is likely to be a significant reference point for researchers and policymakers working on food-based approaches to hidden hunger.

UK applicability

Biofortification programmes are primarily targeted at low- and middle-income countries where staple crop dependence and micronutrient deficiency are most acute; direct applicability to the UK is limited, though findings may inform UK overseas development policy and research funding priorities in global nutrition.

Key measures

Micronutrient content of biofortified crops (e.g. iron, zinc, vitamin A concentrations); programme coverage and reach (number of countries/beneficiaries); evidence of nutritional efficacy outcomes

Outcomes reported

The study likely reviewed progress in developing and deploying micronutrient-enriched staple crops across multiple countries and crop types, assessing reach, efficacy, and nutritional impact. It may have reported on the scale of biofortification programmes, adoption rates, and evidence of improved micronutrient status in target populations.

Theme
Nutrition & health
Subject
Micronutrient nutrition & crop quality
Study type
Narrative Review
Study design
Narrative review
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
Global
System type
Arable cereals
Catalogue ID
XL0125

Topic tags

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