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šŸ„£ Not All Iron Is Equalā€”And Your Food Might Be Fortified with the Worst Kind

Why your ā€˜iron-richā€™ cereal might not be doing much at all.

Author

Isabelle Feldhaus
July 01, 2025 ā€¢ Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

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Fortified foods were meant to solve iron loss, but not all iron is created equal.
Most fortified foods use cheaper, poorly absorbed forms of iron.
Understanding which forms work (and which donā€™t) can help you make smarter choices for real energy gains.

If iron loss in our food is the problem, canā€™t we just add it back?

That was the idea behind food fortification. And to some extent, it worked.

By the 1940s, governments were adding iron to flour, cereal, and rice to replace what industrial processing had stripped away. It helped reduce severe anemia, especially in children and low-income populations.

But not all iron is created equal.

Most fortified foods today are made with cheaper, less absorbable forms of iron. And that means your cereal might be ā€œenriched,ā€ but your body isnā€™t actually absorbing as much as you need.

So if youā€™re still feeling foggy or drained, despite seeing ā€œfortified with ironā€ on the label, youā€™re not imagining it.

In this issue, Iā€™m looking at how and which types of iron is added to food and how to make smarter choices with what ends up on your plate.

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How Iron Gets Added to Your Foodā€”And Why Itā€™s Not That Simple

Iron fortification isnā€™t as simple as just adding iron to our food. Itā€™s a delicate balance of bioavailability, stability, and food compatibility.

Not all forms of iron behave the same way in food. Some dissolve easily, while others change taste, color, or texture, making fortification a tradeoff between absorption and consumer acceptability.

šŸ“Œ For wheat flour and grains ā†’ A fine iron powder is blended into the flour during milling to avoid affecting texture or taste.

šŸ“Œ For liquid products (like milk alternatives) ā†’ Iron must be water-soluble or microencapsulated to prevent settling or unwanted flavor changes.

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Which Iron Forms Are Used?

Different foods require different iron compounds based on cost, stability, and absorbability:

  1. Ferrous Sulfate & Ferrous Fumarate

  • Water-soluble and relatively well-absorbed

  • Can cause taste and color issues in some foods

  • Used in cereals, flours, and infant formulas

  1. Ferric Orthophosphate

  • Less reactive, but also poorly absorbed

  • Chosen because it doesnā€™t affect taste or shelf life

  • Used in rice and some powdered products

  • Cheap and stable

  • Very poorly absorbed

  • Widely used in wheat flour and grain products

  • Designed to improve taste and stability

  • May help reduce interactions with other nutrients

  • Effectiveness depends on formulation, and can still be poorly absorbed

  • Used in milk products and beverages to avoid altering taste

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If most fortified foods use poorly absorbed iron, how do you make smarter choices? Start here:

  • šŸ” Check the form of iron used.
    If the label lists reduced iron or ferric orthophosphate, absorption is likely low.

  • šŸ„› Be mindful with milk alternatives.
    Iron in fortified plant milks is often microencapsulated to reduce taste changes, but encapsulation can also reduce absorption.

  • šŸ„£ Don't assume cereal covers your needs.
    Even if itā€™s ā€œfortified with iron,ā€ most cereals use less bioavailable forms for shelf stability. Pair with vitamin C-rich fruit to boost absorption.

  • šŸ’° Know the tradeoff: cheap ā‰  effective.
    Reduced iron is widely used because itā€™s inexpensive and shelf-stable, but your body absorbs very little.

šŸ’¬ Would you be interested in a cheat sheet breaking down the most effective iron sources? Tell me what would be most helpful!

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