This Thanksgiving, Vitamin Angels is thankful for the orange sweet potato and its potential to prevent blindness, stunted growth and disease among the world’s poorest.  According to McClatchy Newspapers, HarvestPlus, a donor funded organization, has spent the past decade working with universities and research stations all over the world to develop nutrient-enriched foods.  In a process called biofortification, essential vitamin A, zinc, and iron are added to foods like potatoes, corn, and wheat.  

The orange sweet potato, HarvestPlus’ first food to hit the marketplace, is fortified with beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A.  The nutrient-enriched food was developed specifically for Uganda and Mozambique and is now available in parts of the two countries.  The organization is also collaborating with seed companies in Zambia to create pumpkin-colored corn that is enriched with beta-carotene.  HarvestPlus hopes to help the estimated 500,000 children from going blind every year from vitamin A deficiency, two-thirds of whom die within months of going blind.  

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Photograph from McClatchy Newspapers, “The varying degrees of color from yellow to orange indicate the presence of carotenoids, including beta-carotene. | HarvestPlus/MCT”