Consumption of fortified food between 1985 and 1996 in 2- to 14-year-old German children and adolescents

Since the 1980s, fortified food plays an increasing role in food marketing in Germany. However, there is a lack of data concerning fortified food consumption. We therefore evaluated dietary information of the DONALD Study. A total of 2251 3-days weighed records between 1986 and 1996 from 637 different subjects aged between 2 and 14 years (mean: 6.6 years) were evaluated. Food products were defined as fortified if enriched at least with one of the following nutrients: vitamin A (including provitamin A carotenoids), E, B1, B2, B6, C, niacin, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron or phosphate. Products were grouped in 'Diary products', 'Cereals', 'Beverages', 'Instant Beverages', 'Sweets/biscuits', 'Fats/oils', and 'Beikost' (i.e. dietetic food intended for infants and young children under 4 years). Over the last 11 years almost all children and adolescents consumed fortified food products. Excluding the food group 'Fats/oils' the proportion of consumers of fortified food increased by about 20% between 1986 and 1996. During the same period the consumption rate increased up to five-fold for the food group 'Beverages' and fourfold for 'Cereals'. Since 1988, a relatively constant consumption ratio of 62-68 different fortified products per 100 consumers has been found. 'Beverages' showed the highest food-group-specific diversity. In Germany, vitamins are more often used than minerals to fortify food, whereas vitamin C is the most frequent added nutrient. We found some interesting time trends in the use of vitamins and minerals for fortification with a continuous increase in the use of vitamin C and E. Only vitamin A showed a decrease in use during the study period. Finally, we found a decreasing number of consumers of all fortified products at the end of the study period.