The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published a Publicly Available Standard (PAS) for vitamin A-enriched grains, completing a set of three PAS that will facilitate trade in biofortified grains on a global scale. Two previously released PAS cover zinc-enriched and iron-enriched grains.
The latest PAS 235 sets standards for the levels of vitamin A in maize, cassava and potato, and is available free of charge from the BSI website. Adoption and application of these standards by food market participants and government regulators will provide assurance for buyers that they are receiving quality biofortified products, increasing market confidence and spurring growth in trade.
The benefits of the PAS will be communicated to market participants to facilitate its use by leading traders in the public and private sectors. One priority objective is to facilitate more public sector purchasing of nutrient-enriched grains, such as through school feeding programs and public distribution systems, as well as more trade by food producers and processors. For food processors, the PAS links to food labeling laws and regulations, making it easier to label foods and make nutrition and/or health claims to consumers.