Editing Vitamin C (section)

===Food fortification===
Countries fortify foods with nutrients to address known deficiencies.<ref name=WhyFortify>{{cite web |url=https://www.ffinetwork.org/savelives |title=Why fortify? |website=Food Fortification Initiative |date=December 2023 |access-date=January 3, 2024 |archive-date=March 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308151817/https://www.ffinetwork.org/savelives |url-status=live }}</ref> While many countries mandate or have voluntary programs to fortify wheat flour, maize (corn) flour or rice with vitamins,<ref name=Map>{{cite web|url=https://fortificationdata.org/map-number-of-nutrients/|title=Map: Count of nutrients in fortification standards|website=Global Fortification Data Exchange|access-date=January 3, 2024|archive-date=April 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411123853/https://fortificationdata.org/map-number-of-nutrients/|url-status=live}}</ref> none include vitamin C in those programs.<ref name=Map/> As described in ''Vitamin C Fortification of Food Aid Commodities'' (1997), the United States provides rations to international food relief programs, later under the auspices of the [[Food for Peace|Food for Peace Act]] and the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.<ref name="USAID-2023">{{cite web|title=USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance website|date=November 21, 2023 |url=https://www.usaid.gov/who-we-are/organization/bureaus/bureau-humanitarian-assistance|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813170934/https://www.usaid.gov/who-we-are/organization/bureaus/bureau-humanitarian-assistance|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 13, 2020}}</ref> Vitamin C is added to corn-soy blend and wheat-soy blend products at 40&nbsp;mg/100 grams. (along with minerals and other vitamins). Supplemental rations of these highly fortified, blended foods are provided to refugees and displaced persons in camps and to beneficiaries of development feeding programs that are targeted largely toward mothers and children.<ref name=VitCFort1997>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK230149/ |title=Vitamin C fortification of food aid commodities: final report |chapter=Introduction |date=1997 |publisher=National Academies Press (US) |access-date=January 3, 2024 |archive-date=January 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240121044202/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK230149/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The report adds: "The stability of vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is of concern because this is one of the most labile vitamins in foods. Its main loss during processing and storage is from oxidation, which is accelerated by light, oxygen, heat, increased pH, high moisture content (water activity), and the presence of copper or ferrous salts. To reduce oxidation, the vitamin C used in commodity fortification is coated with ethyl cellulose (2.5 percent). Oxidative losses also occur during food processing and preparation, and additional vitamin C may be lost if it dissolves into cooking liquid and is then discarded."<ref name=VitCFort1997/>