PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA: Consumers will get to enjoy more nutritious bread, noodles and even roti canai soon.

This is because the Health Ministry has proposed that wheat flour - the main ingredient in these food items - be fortified with iron and folic acid.

Its Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the National Food Safety and Nutrition Council had made the proposal as 1.62 million Malaysians, in particular women and children, had anaemia, which was the result of iron deficiency.

"Fortifying flour with iron and acid folic has been found to be an effective measure against anaemia in Costa Rica and Venezuela. The cost to the manufacturers will be very minimal.

"It will only come up to 17 sen per person per year. If the proposal is implemented, the cost will be absorbed by both the Government and the manufacturers. Manufac- turers will also be given time to comply," Liow told reporters after chairing the council meeting here yesterday.

He said there were 124 pre-natal deaths in 2002 caused by anaemia among pregnant women from lack of iron alone.

"I will bring this proposal to the Cabinet, and if approved, will begin talks with the Federation of Malay- sian Manufacturers immediately. We hope to implement this by early next year," he added.

Asked whether such a requirement would give flour manufacturers the opportunity to ask for a price increase of their product, currently a controlled item, Liow said the commodity was still subsidised by the Government.

Among others, the council also discussed the issues of melamine contamination, food poisoning, trans-fatty acid in local fast food and iodine programmes in Sabah and Sarawak.

On the presence of trans-fatty acid, Liow said a study conducted by Universiti Putra Malaysia found that the level was still very low.

"Malaysians don't have to worry. For instance, the level of trans-fatty acid found in fried chicken and french fries in local fast-food outlets range from undetectable to 2.5mg and 3.2mg per 100gm of food respectively. This is below the 5mg per 100gm of trans-fatty acid allowed," he said, adding that large amounts of trans-fatty acid in one's diet could lead to coronary heart disease.

On melamine, Liow said the industrial chemical would be included as one of the contaminants for the Food Control Division to check for and that local biscuit producers should now concentrate on winning back consumers' confidence.

The council also decided to appoint three new members - the Halal Development Corporation Sdn Bhd, Malaysian Quarantine and Ins- pection Services and the Federation of Livestock Farmers Association of Malaysia.