DefinePK

Abstract

Vitamin A deficiency remains a significant public health concern both globally and in Pakistan. To address this, Pakistan mandated the fortification of edible oil with vitamin A under the 1960 Pure Food Rules. This study aimed to assess whether edible oil and Ghee Mills in the Haripur district comply with Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority Vitamin A fortification standards. Additionally, the study evaluates the commercial usage of Vitamin A fortified edible oil and Vanaspati Ghee. The study was based on lab-based analytical experiments in the Haripur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A total of 52 samples were collected using a non-probability convenience sampling technique from various sources, including urban and rural households, hotels, truck stops, frying shops, and manufacturing units in Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Vitamin A levels were analyzed using the Check Chroma-3 device and Spot test kits, and results were compared with national fortification standards. Out of 52 samples, 45 (86.5%) met the national vitamin A fortification standards, whereas 7 (13.5%) were found to fail (below the national standards). Based on the descriptive statistics, 77.3% of the oil samples met the national standard, while 22.7% did not. Besides, 93.3% of the ghee samples met the national standard. Notably, most deficiencies were observed in samples from frying shops and truck hotels. It was concluded that most of the samples in the Haripur district were found to be adequately fortified with vitamin A. However, gaps remain in quality assurance, particularly in rural areas and informal food service establishments.