Estimating the Micronutrient Adequacy of the Food Supply Using Food Balance Sheets for Targeted Nutrition-sensitive Agricultural Approaches: Example of Bangladesh

Abstract

Objectives: To estimate the micronutrient availability and adequacy of the food supply of Bangladesh and estimate the additional agricultural output needed to achieve nutrient adequacy. Methods: We estimated micronutrient availability of the food supply using an average of 5 years of Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) food balance sheet data.  We estimated nutrients for non-specific food commodities (e.g., other vegetables) using FAO production data supplemented with known consumption information from a dietary survey.  We estimated the probability of adequacy of the food supply using a method similar to the cut-point method of estimating nutrient intake adequacy.  Then, we estimated the target level of nutrient needed in the food supply to achieve 80% adequacy and amounts of micronutrient-rich foods and land needed to meet the nutrient shortfall. Results: The current food supply in Bangladesh provides very low amounts (0-1% adequacy) of calcium and vitamins A, C, and folate; and low-moderate amounts of several other micronutrients. Using vitamin A as an example, the food supply would need to provide an additional 570 mcg RAE/capita/d to achieve 80% adequacy.  This could be accomplished by adding ~67g/capita/d of carrots or ~73g/capita/d of orange-flesh sweet potatoes, requiring ~4 and 6% of the country's total agricultural land, respectively. Conclusions: National food balance sheets can be used to guide agricultural policies to ensure nutrient adequacy of the food supply, recognizing the need to consider other factors like climate, season, economics, and behavior change to drive food production decisions.