Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) are globally considered as the most prevalent nutrient deficiency in the world. The sheer number of lives affected worldwide is shocking, It is estimated that 2 billion people worldwide are iron deficient including one billion who suffer from IDA(1). In India, 74% of the children below 5 years of age and 52% of young women have anemia (2). Poor dietary iron intake (3) and decreased iron absorption are the two main factors responsible for nutritional iron deficiency affecting poor populations (4). Plant based diets commonly consumed in

India and other developing countries have low iron content and also contain an abundance of phytates and polyphenols that inhibit the absorption of dietary non-heme iron (5), by forming insoluble complexes, thereby making it unavailable for absorption (6, 7). Rice is predominantly consumed and iron content of rice-based diets could be in the range of about 7mg/1000 Kcal. Data from an unpublished survey of primary school children in Karnataka, where the median iron intake was found to be about 10 mg/day. Assuming a generous bioavailability of 5% across all intakes, the median iron absorbed would be about 0.5 mg/day. Thus for a child with 1mg iron as the physiological requirement per day he/she will have a daily deficit of0.5 mg/day, or half the

child’s requirement is only met. Over the days and years this deficit accrues and is further worsened by the increase in iron requirement around puberty.