Dietary formulation to overcome micronutrient deficiency status in Indonesia

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the contribution of each food group from the typical Indonesian diet to the daily intake of micronutrients and to the micronutrient deficiency status of different age groups of the Indonesian population, and also to formulate a healthier diet using linear programming.Design methodology approach - Data on typical Indonesian diet, food items and serving sizes were obtained from the Indonesian Socio Economic Survey. Each food item of the diet and its serving size were noted and their iron (mg.day−1), zinc (mg.day−1) and vitamin A (Retinol Equivalent, RE.day−1) contribution were calculated. Adequacy of typical diet was determined in comparison to RDA. Linear programming calculations were performed using POM-QM for windows version 3.Findings - The highest iron and zinc contributor in each age group was white rice and for vitamin A was the chicken and meat group. Iron deficiency in young adults was 38 per cent, children (26 per cent) and adult group (11 per cent). Zinc deficiency in young adult was 64 per cent children (60 per cent) and adult groups (45 per cent). Vitamin A deficiency in children was 57 per cent, adult (29 per cent) and young adult group (16 per cent). Linear programming can be used to formulate balanced diet.Research limitations implications - Varieties of foods used to formulate the balanced diet in this paper were limited. For future research, more detailed formulation can be proposed.Practical implications - The paper shows that Indonesians needs to consume more vegetables to achieve the micronutrient requirement.Originality value - The recommended dietary formulation can improve the micronutrient deficiency status among different age groups in Indonesia and the approach of the research can be implemented in other countries.