Daily Bread

The report finds that the vast majority of industrially produced breads and tortillas in Mexico fail to meet the minimum iron and zinc levels mandated by the NOM-247-SSA1-2008 regulation. Testing revealed that only 14% of bread products and 1.5% of tortilla products were adequately fortified. Furthermore, 84% of both product types were suspected of using elemental iron, a less-bioavailable source not recommended by the regulation or WHO guidelines. The report highlights a regulatory loophole where the law mandates fortification for flour producers but does not explicitly require food processors to procure and use that fortified flour. Major companies like Grupo Bimbo and Gruma were specifically analyzed, with Gruma's tested products failing to meet any minimum requirements for iron or zinc.

• A very small percentage of tested staple foods meet the legal minimums for iron and zinc: only 14% of bread products (6 out of 43) and 1.5% of tortilla products (1 out of 69) clearly met the mandated levels.
• The majority of tested products use elemental iron, which is less bioavailable and not recommended by the Mexican regulation or World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, particularly for nixtamalized maize flour.
• There is a significant regulatory loophole because the current law (NOM-247-SSA1-2008) obligates flour producers to fortify but does not legally require food processors to procure or use that fortified flour for final products.
• Testing of products from Gruma, a world leader in tortilla manufacturing, showed that none of the seven products tested met the minimum requirements for iron or zinc.
• Grupo Bimbo's performance was also poor, with only one bread product and one tortilla product meeting the minimum iron and zinc standards across the brands tested.
• The report identifies several other failures in the current regulation, including a lack of specified government agency for enforcement, no defined frequency for monitoring, and no public access to monitoring results.
• Micronutrient deficiencies are a critical health issue in Mexico, with 90% of women lacking sufficient iron and 25% of adult men lacking sufficient zinc.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2019). Daily Bread. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Daily_Bread_WEB.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Daily Bread. 2019. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Daily_Bread_WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Daily Bread |date=May 2019 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Daily_Bread_WEB.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2019daily, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Daily Bread}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2019}, month = may, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Daily_Bread_WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }