Improving nutrition and health through zinc-enriched crops – FAQs on the role of PAS 233

Increasing the level of key nutrients in the basic staples we all eat can improve population health. PAS 233, introduced in September 2021, helps scale this nutrition intervention by providing a new specification on zinc enriched wheat, maize and rice grain.

We’ve addressed some of the most frequently asked questions around the new standard and how it will support confidence in the quality and provenance of zinc enriched grains.

The PAS 233 standard aims to accelerate the uptake of nutritionally enhanced seeds, grains and foods across the entire value chain by detailing exact requirements for the levels of zinc in particular food crops: maize (Zea mays); rice (Oryza sativa); and wheat (Triticum aestivum) intended as food for human consumption.

There are several reasons why PAS 233 is needed.

Firstly, with the previous gap in standards at grain level, consumers may not receive the quality of food they expect. Introducing a standard means all members of the food supply chain are held accountable and responsible for ensuring best practice when it comes to nutrient-enriched grains. In return, everyone can have confidence in the quality of these grains.

Improved transparency around the specifications for nutrient-enriched grains will support increased procurement and use. The more government and other food standards agencies procure these grains, the faster nutrition can increase, and people can benefit from improved health and wellbeing.

The standard makes it easier for farmers, aggregators, traders, processors, manufacturers and procurement teams to differentiate the nutrient-enriched grains from standard grains, especially given that these benefits are visually indistinguishable.

The PAS 233 standard is applicable to zinc nutrient-enriched grains produced using plant breeding technologies or agronomic practices. This relates to increasing the natural content of nutrients in a crop through selective breeding, as opposed to adding these nutrients after milling.

The technical authors from HarvestPlus and a steering group formed of international experts in government, plant and crop sciences, grain procurement and academics were involved in the development of PAS 233.

The standard was sponsored by the Commercialization of Biofortified Crops (CBC) programme (a partnership between HarvestPlus and GAIN), which is funded by the Germany Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Government of the Netherlands.

HarvestPlus are global leaders in biofortification evidence, technology and scaling through commercialization, working to develop and promote vitamin and mineral rich biofortified food crops.

BSI facilitated the development of PAS 233.

The steering group was made up of various multidisciplinary representatives, with experts including nutritionists, agronomists, policymakers, food industry buyers, analytical specialists from academic, the public sector, government, and the food industry.

PAS 233 is focused on verifying the quality of nutritionally superior grains by considering the following:

1. Zinc levels (mg/kg) for three grades or “classes” of grain
2. Sampling and test methods used to determine zinc levels in the grain
3. Packaging and grain labelling

The PAS intentionally doesn’t provide lots of detail on quality requirements that apply to all grains, as these are already covered in other standards. Rather, it is focused on points that are specific to zinc-enriched grains. As Paul Nicholson, Vice President of Rice Research and Sustainability at Olam Agri, one of the world’s leading producers, processors and distributors of rice, puts it, “The specification is small but mighty.”

PAS 233 applies to all countries in the world that grow maize, rice and wheat, and all businesses, no matter their size, that produce or procure grains for human consumption. It is intended to be used in support of, or alongside, local rules and regulations.

Paul Nicholson commented, “From the regulators’ perspective it already answers questions in advance that they would otherwise have to answer on their own, so it is a huge time saver for a regulator to have this type of guidance as they start the process.”

Enriched grains have so far improved the lives of more than 60 million people across 60 countries[1]. The aim is that by 2030, a billion people worldwide will benefit from enriched crops.[2]

PAS 233 offers specific guidance on verifying the zinc content of enriched crops versus standard crops, so all parties in the food supply chain know the quality of the produce they’re growing, harvesting, processing, manufacturing, procuring and selling. Consumers will feel confident in consuming the produce, with the knowledge that it has gone through the necessary checks and is held to a standard.

PAS 233 is for everyone involved in the food supply chain, including farmers, millers, traders, processors, manufacturers and retailers.

Public health nutritionists, government health departments and food standards agencies will also find PAS 233 helpful in procurement, as well as in boosting nutrition and health across developing and developed countries.

Those located in these developing economies, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria, may also be interested in learning about the new standard to provide reassurance around consumption of zinc enriched grains.

[1] https://www.harvestplus.org/home/global-reach/
[2] https://www.harvestplus.org/knowledge-market/in-the-news/biofortification’s-growing-global-reach