Iron Pots: Not all Good News!
Summary of Published Letter*
Guinea
Earlier editions of Field Exchange have highlighted research on the potential role of using iron cooking pots to increase iron intake and combat anaemia in refugee situations. However, a recent letter1 in the British Medical Journal suggests that there might be an inherent and overlooked danger in using iron cooking utensils. Apparently, in South Africa, indigenous people have been using iron pots for many years. The problem is that the pots are not only used for cooking; men also use them for brewing their traditional beer. This beer has a low pH and dissolves the pot, giving a beverage full of iron. In South Africa the incidence of haemosiderosis (the deposition of iron in the tissues due to excessive breakdown of red blood cells) in black people was the highest in the world. The condition even led to collapsed vertebrae due to a form of scurvy from the iron.
This haemosiderosis is only now starting to disappear as it is only about 25 years ago that South African laws changed, allowing black people to buy the 'white mans' liquor. Traditional brewing was no longer necessary and the beer was brewed by factories and not in iron pots any more.
*Use of iron pots in South Africa led to haemosiderosis: C.F van der Merwe (1999), BMJ Vol 319, 27th, pp 432, November 1999.
More like this
FEX: More Evidence in Favour of Iron Pots
Published paper Ethiopia - Dimma refugee camp, demonstration of a fuel-saving cooker. In Field Exchange 5 we published a summary of research conducted in Brazil which showed...
FEX: Scurvy outbreak and erosion of livelihoods masked by low wasting levels in drought affected Northern Afghanistan
By Fitsum Assefa Signs of scurvy: blackness of the legs indicative of haemorrhage Fitsum Assefa is a nutritionist who recently joined Save the Children, United States (SC/US)...
FEX: Letter on cooking in iron pots, by Rita Bhatia
Pots and Pans Dear Field Exchange When recently thinking about a proposal on micro- nutrient initiatives for refligee women, I was reminded of a special after-dinner treat we...
FEX: Learning from the Porridge Mums project in northeast Nigeria
By Ellyn Yakowenko and Silke Pietzsch View this article as a pdf Lisez cet article en français ici Ellyn Yakowenko is the Associate Director of Research at Action...
FEX: Pots and Pans Combat Anaemia!
Summary of published paper A letter in Field Exchange issue 1, raised the interesting idea that cooking in iron pots and pans might increase the iron content of foods and that...
FEX: Biofortification: Helping meet nutrition needs worldwide
News By Dr Erick Boy, Nutrition Head, HarvestPlus Dr Erick Boy is a public health practitioner and has a doctoral degree in nutrition from University of California, Davis. He...
en-net: Cooking demonstrations
As part of the prevention of malnutrition, can I have a document outlining lessons learned from an experience in cooking demonstrations for implementing a cooking demonstration...
FEX: Household-based food fortification for anaemia control in Sudan
By Erin Tansey and Dr. Ibrahim Bani Erin Tansey started work as a programme officer for CARE in Bosnia in 1996. She moved on to work for UNHCR in Asia and Africa and has been...
FEX: Food Preparation an Obstacle to Education
This article is written by Betty Kidan Muni who is a field officer working for SCF with women's groups in south Sudan*. Background Betty Kidan (author of the article)...
FEX: Angular stomatitis and riboflavin status
Summary of published paper1 Severe angular stomatitis Between 1990 and 1993, fear of persecution led 83,000 ethnic Nepalese to flee from Bhutan to refugee camps in Nepal....
FEX: The nutrition-sensitive potential of agricultural programmes in the context of school feeding: lessons from Haiti
By Nathan Mallonee, Jason Streubel, Manassee Mersilus and Grace Heymsfield Lisez cet article en français ici Nathan Mallonee is the Director of Program Effectiveness...
FEX: Nutrition-sensitive agriculture in Zambia: work in progress
By Abigail Moyo, Eunice Bwalya Chishimba and Mary Corbett Abigail Moyo is the Nutrition Facilitator with Self Help Africa (SHA), working in Luwingu District since May 2014....
FEX: Research Snapshots
The following provides a short summary of each of these important research studies. A fuller summary of each can be found online at www.ennonline.net/fex Inpatient management...
en-net: Upto what extend iron flour fortification can increase the Hb level of anemic adolescent women if iron fortified wheat flour is feed to these anemic adolescent women for 3 months?
i am doing my Mphil research on iron wheat flour fortification for anemic adolescent women. can any one have any information or relevant site or paper that how much it will...
FEX: Mainstreaming nutrition in a school-based feeding programme in northeast Nigeria
By Greg Sclama View this article as a pdf Lisez cet article en français ici Gregory Sclama is an Assistant Professor of International Development and Economics at the...
FEX: Stunting and wasting in children under two years old in a semi-nomadic pastoralist population in Kenya
By Amelia Reese-Masterson, Masumi Maehara and Mark Murage Gathii Amelia Reese-Masterson is Research Advisor in the Nutrition, Food Security and Livelihoods Unit at...
FEX: Production of Pre-cooked Fortified Blended Foods in Kenya: A Success Story
Author: Goete Hertz, Supply Officer, UNICEF Emergency Programme in Kenya 1992-1995. Now head of Product Development in House of Menji, Nairobi The use of supplementary...
FEX: Capacity Building in Times of Emergency: Experiences From Malawi
By Claire de Menezes Claire de Menezes is a paediatric nurse specialising in infectious disease. Having spent 16 months working in Sudan with Action Contre la Faim and one...
FEX: Cash transfers in emergencies: a review of recent experiences
Summary of Review1 Recent programmes have been based on the idea of helping people recover livelihoods, rather than simply supporting survival. Above a women trading, Kinsha...
Blog post: The private sector in nutrition - a player by default or choice? Reflections from a multi-stakeholder meeting
I participated in a Round Table organised by South Asia Food and Nutrition Security Initiative SAFANSI In Colombo in June which was titled “Putting the Lens on the...
Reference this page
Iron Pots: Not all Good News!. Field Exchange 9, March 2000. p2. www.ennonline.net/fex/9/iron
(ENN_3401)