Fortification
# High Iron Cereal
Published: 05/03/2026
AuthorOleh Nestlé Cereals
Reading time: 5 min.
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## How important are cereals high in iron to your breakfast experience?
One of the essential nutrients that our bodies need for growth and development is iron. It’s a mineral that can be found in a variety of plant and animal foods, but most people don’t get enough iron in their diet. With iron deficiency becoming more common in the population, Nestlé® fortified cereals can be a solution to help you increase your iron intake.
Iron is important because your body needs it to create haemoglobin which is an essential component of red blood cells \[1\]. It transports oxygen around the body. You also use iron to make myoglobin, which carries oxygen into your muscles. It’s also a part of several hormones.
You need sufficient oxygen to reach your cells for them to function, so having enough haemoglobin is crucial to good health. It’s even important in brain function..
## HOW MUCH IRON YOU NEED DEPENDS ON YOUR AGE AND GENDER.
According to the Malaysian Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI, 2017), an adult man needs about 14mg of iron while women requires double of that \[2\] . And if a woman becomes pregnant, her demand for iron soars, requiring 100mg of supplemented iron, and in case of anemia, an even higher dosage is required. Menstruating women will also need an iron-rich diet because of blood loss.
If you don’t eat meat, you’ll need to consume more of the iron rich foods from plant- based sources because your body cannot absorb iron from this sources \[3\] as well as the animal sources.
If you don’t take in enough iron, you can suffer from an iron deficiency, which can cause anaemia where your body isn’t able to make enough haemoglobin. You may not realise you’re suffering from iron deficiency because you just feel a bit tired and run down. But continued deficiency can leave you feeling breathless, impair your memory and other cognitive functions, and even make you susceptible to infection.
### NESTLÉ® STARTED ADDING IRON TO CEREALS IN THE 1920’S IN A PROCESS CALLED FORTIFICATION TO MAKE OUR CEREALS A SOURCE OF IRON.
It’s a bonus for your family as research has shown that both kids and grown-ups who eat fortified cereals have improved their nutritional intakes especially in vitamins & minerals \[4,5\].
## SO HOW MUCH IRON WILL YOU FIND IN YOUR FAVOURITE NESTLÉ® BREAKFAST CEREALS?
Top of the tree are Nestlé® FITNESSE® Flakes about 4mg of iron in a 30g serving. Other Nestlé® cereals high in iron include Nestlé® GOLD Cornflakes, with about 3mg of iron in a serving. And if the kids love their cereal chocolatey, they can still enjoy a breakfast that contains a high level of iron with Nestlé® KOKO KRUNCH® delivering more than 4mg in a serving. With five-year-olds needing 6mg a day, that’s a great boost at breakfast time.
## TO INCREASE YOUR IRON INTAKE EVEN MORE, ADD SOME FRUITS, NUTS OR SEEDS TO YOUR NESTLÉ® FORTIFIED BREAKFAST CEREALS
Seeds make a delicious breakfast topper and offer a good iron boost. A tablespoon of pumpkin or flax seeds can add another microgram of iron. Dried fruit is also packed with iron, particularly apricots and raisins. And remember to drink a glass of orange juice with your breakfast or add some blueberries to your cereals. The vitamin C they contain helps your body to absorb plant iron. Did you know that dark chocolate can also be very nutritious? Grate an ounce onto your Nestlé® fortified cereals in the morning, and you will be adding another 3.4 mg of iron \[6\]. Yummy!
According to the Malaysian National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS, 2019), the prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia among Malaysian female adults was 29.9% \[7\] whilst, the prevalence of iron deficiency among kids was 4.4% \[8\] . So, for an easy boost to your iron intake, consider including cereals that are source of iron such as Nestlé® fortified breakfast cereals.
[](https://www.nestle-cereals.com/my/my-en/nutrition/fortified-cereal)
## [Our fortified cereals – it’s all about defences!](https://www.nestle-cereals.com/my/my-en/nutrition/fortified-cereal)
The word ‘fortification’ means ‘a defensive wall or other reinforcement built to strengthen a place against attack’ – so what has that got to do with cereals? Well, when cereals are ‘fortified’, it means they contain added vitamins and minerals to help our body work well.
[Why fortify cereals?](/my/my-en/nutrition/fortified-cereal)
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## Footnote:
\[1\] NHS (2020). Vitamins and minerals. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/
\[2\] Recommended Nutrient Intake (2017). Iron. https://nutrition.moh.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FA-Buku-RNI.pdf
\[3\] Harvard, School of Public Health (2022). Iron. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/iron/
\[4\] Fulgoni III, V. L., & Buckley, R. B. (2015). The contribution of fortified ready-to-eat cereal to vitamin and mineral intake in the US population, NHANES 2007–2010. Nutrients, 7(6), 3949-3958.
\[5\] Mohd Nasir, M. T., Nurliyana, A. R., Norimah, A. K., Jan Mohamed, H. J. B., Tan, S. Y., Appukutty, M., ... & Tee, E. S. (2017). Consumption of ready-to-eat cereals (RTEC) among Malaysian children and association with socio-demographics and nutrient intakes–findings from the MyBreakfast study. Food & nutrition research, 61(1), 1304692.
\[6\] Healthline (2019). The Top 10 Foods High in Iron. https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/foods-high-in-iron#dark-chocolate
\[7\] National Health and Morbidity Survey (2019). NCDs – Non-Communicable Diseases: Risk Factors and other Health Problems. Vol 1. https://iku.gov.my/images/IKU/Document/REPORT/NHMS2019/Report\_NHMS2019-NCD\_v2.pdf
\[8\] Poh, B. K., Ng, B. K., Haslinda, M. D. S., Shanita, S. N., Wong, J. E., Budin, S. B., ... & Norimah, A. K. (2013). Nutritional status and dietary intakes of children aged 6 months to 12 years: findings of the Nutrition Survey of Malaysian Children (SEANUTS Malaysia). British Journal of Nutrition, 110(S3), S21-S35.