Universal Vitamin A Fortification In Palm Cooking Oil: A Cost Effective Intervention To Strengthen National Nutrition

English Version
7 Agustus 2026
9:48 AM

Indonesian Palm Oil News (IPO News) – Vitamin A deficiency remains a persistent nutritional challenge in Indonesia despite interventions spanning more than four decades. While biannual vitamin A supplementation successfully reduced xerophthalmia in the early 1990s, biochemical evidence shows that mild to moderate deficiency continues among vulnerable groups, including toddlers, pregnant women, and low-income communities. Food fortification is therefore a highly relevant strategy as it can reach a large population without requiring significant changes in consumer behaviour.

Food fortification is therefore a highly relevant strategy as it can reach a large population without requiring significant changes in consumer behaviour. Palm cooking oil (PCO), consumed by almost every household in Indonesia, offers an ideal vehicle for delivering vitamin A. The 2025 National Food Consumption Directory published by the National Food Agency (BAPANAS) records average consumption at 27.7 grams per capita per day, or approximately 10.1 kilograms annually.

Efforts to fortify PCO began in the early 2000s when the Indonesian Nutrition Foundation for Food Fortification (KFI) and the Micronutrient Initiative conducted a consumption feasibility study. The findings demonstrated PCO’s considerable potential as a fortification vehicle. Of the roughly 5 million tons produced at the time, about 70% of PCO in circulation was Loose oil. However, turnover was rapid. Consumers generally purchased quantities sufficient for only 1–3 days and used the oil for 2–3 rounds of frying, reducing the risk of significant vitamin A degradation. The feasibility study was followed by a pilot project on Barrang Lompo Island, Makassar, from 2006 to 2008. It demonstrated that vitamin A remained stable during distribution and household use, with retention levels of 54–94% after frying. Consumer acceptance was excellent, with communities willing to pay an additional Rp100 for fortified PCO. The pilot also showed measurable biological benefits: serum retinol increased from 23.3 µg/dL to 26.6 µg/dL, while vitamin A deficiency declined by 32%.

Between 2008 and 2014, cross sector advocacy was undertaken by KFI, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS), leading to the publication of Indonesian National Standards (SNI) 7709:2012. In August 2012, the Minister of Health officially wrote to the Minister of Industry, emphasizing the urgency of PCO fortification. The letter stated that palm cooking oil was the most appropriate food ingredient for delivering vitamin A to the public and highlighted evidence that fortification could improve vitamin A status and children’s resistance to infection. It also pointed out that, as compliance with the SNI remained voluntary, poor communities lacked access to SNI compliant cooking oil. Mandatory PCO fortification subsequently experienced shifting dynamics due to global economic conditions and lengthy discussions over vitamin A levels. In August 2018, the Minister of Health explicitly supported enforcement of a mandatory SNI and urged that the regulation be established by December 2018. Eventually, the standard was revised into mandatory SNI No. 7709:2019, requiring a minimum vitamin A level of 45 IU per gram of PCO at the producer level. This official government statement serves as an important historical foundation that MGS fortification is not merely a technical intervention, but also a public health policy recommended by the national authorities.

Vitamin A stability remains an important consideration. Research by Andarwulan, Marliyati, Martianto, and the IPB team indicates that Retinyl Palmitate is relatively stable under dark conditions and at room tempe-rature but undergoes significant degradation when oil in transpa-rent packaging is exposed to UV light. Andarwulan et al. (2015) found that repeated frying can reduce vitamin A levels by 30–40%. However, retention remains sufficient to make a meaningful contribution to daily intake, particularly as an overage is applied when calculating dosage. The National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM)’s routine market surveillance has found that more than 90% of packaged PCO meets fortification standards, although variations in vitamin A levels still occur in oil sold in traditional markets.

Although the SNI does not mandate that vitamin A in PCO must be externally added, the industry uses the fortificant Retinyl Palmitate because beta carotene is lost during PCO production. Retinyl Palmitate is stable during refining and processing, does not alter the oil’s colour, and offers better stability at high temperatures than β-carotene. In comparison, β-carotene degrades more easily during frying and UV exposure and imparts a deep red colour that is less accepted by consumers.

The biological effectiveness of PCO fortification has also been demonstrated through inter-vention studies. Research by Sandjaja et al. (2015) showed a 13–17% increase in serum retinol across different age groups. A meta-analysis by Hombali (2019) found that oil fortification can reduce the risk of vitamin A deficiency by up to 55% across various Asian and African countries.