In addition, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) is looking into proposals for further fortification of food and drink, as happens in countries including the US, Canada and Finland.

BBC: Cheap vitamin D 'would boost health'

Ms. Warner recounts what life was like in poor areas before the introduction of vitamins into food substances, the fortification of white flour and milk, and the widespread availability of items like orange juice: Many people suffered from rickets (because of insufficient vitamin D and calcium), scurvy (vitamin C), pellagra (vitamin B3) and beriberi (vitamin B1).

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