{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,2]],"date-time":"2026-05-02T09:20:59Z","timestamp":1777713659621,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1777420800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"BEL"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Micronutrient malnutrition, particularly deficiencies in calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc, and iodine, remains a significant public health issue among school-aged children in Morocco. Processed cheese, such as \u201cThe Laughing Cow\u201d (TLC), has potential as a vehicle for fortification due to its widespread consumption and accessibility. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of fortified TLC on micronutrient intake and adequacy relative to the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), among Moroccan children aged 6\u201312 years, and to explore differences in effects by socioeconomic status (SES). Methods: Data from the Moroccan Household Budget Survey (2013\u20132014) included 9266 children (39.4% TLC consumers). Dietary intake was assessed using 24 h recalls, and nutrient composition was analyzed using Ciqual 2020 tables and specialized software. Fortification scenarios were modelled to estimate potential impacts on micronutrient intake and compliance with RDAs. Results: Under the modelling scenarios, consumption of one portion\/day of fortified TLC significantly improved RDAs compliance for iron, iodine, and zinc (p &lt; 0.05). There was also an increase in RDA compliance for calcium and vitamin D, but differences were not significant. The impact of fortification on micronutrient intake and RDA compliance increased with socioeconomic status. Consumers of more than one portion\/day showed the highest compliance with RDAs (p &lt; 0.001). Fortification effects were consistent across age subgroups. Conclusions: Fortifying processed cheese represents a feasible strategy to address micronutrient deficiencies among Moroccan schoolchildren. This study highlights the potential of targeted fortification programmes to improve public health outcomes, particularly in vulnerable populations. Further research is needed to optimize fortification approaches and ensure sustainability.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu18091397","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T09:46:11Z","timestamp":1777455971000},"page":"1397","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Impact of Cheese Micronutrient Fortification on Micronutrient Consumption in Children from Morocco: A Modelling Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0303-7912","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alba M.","family":"Santaliestra-Pas\u00edas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development (GENUD-B34_23R) Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Zaragoza, C\/Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain"},{"name":"Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n Sanitaria de Arag\u00f3n (IIS Arag\u00f3n), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain"},{"name":"Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica en Red de Fisiopatolog\u00eda de la Obesidad y Nutrici\u00f3n (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Instituto Agroalimentario de Arag\u00f3n (IA2), Universidad de Zaragoza-CITA, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain"},{"name":"Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud y del Deporte, Universidad de Zaragoza, 22001 Huesca, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-0586-0384","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Isabel","family":"Rueda-De Torre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development (GENUD-B34_23R) Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Zaragoza, C\/Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain"},{"name":"Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n Sanitaria de Arag\u00f3n (IIS Arag\u00f3n), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain"},{"name":"Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica en Red de Fisiopatolog\u00eda de la Obesidad y Nutrici\u00f3n (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Instituto Agroalimentario de Arag\u00f3n (IA2), Universidad de Zaragoza-CITA, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1655-568X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M\u00aa Isabel","family":"Benedicto-Toboso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development (GENUD-B34_23R) Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Zaragoza, C\/Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain"},{"name":"Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n Sanitaria de Arag\u00f3n (IIS Arag\u00f3n), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain"},{"name":"Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica en Red de Fisiopatolog\u00eda de la Obesidad y Nutrici\u00f3n (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Instituto Agroalimentario de Arag\u00f3n (IA2), Universidad de Zaragoza-CITA, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3007-302X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luis Mariano","family":"Esteban","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela Polit\u00e9cnica de La Almunia, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50100 Zaragoza, Spain"},{"name":"Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7002-556X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sergio","family":"Sabroso-Lasa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology Group (GMEG), Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), 28029 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Karima","family":"Sabounji","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"International University of Casablanca, Casablanca 50169, Morocco"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Larbi","family":"Rjimati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"International University of Casablanca, Casablanca 50169, Morocco"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0454-653X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luis A.","family":"Moreno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development (GENUD-B34_23R) Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Zaragoza, C\/Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain"},{"name":"Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n Sanitaria de Arag\u00f3n (IIS Arag\u00f3n), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain"},{"name":"Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica en Red de Fisiopatolog\u00eda de la Obesidad y Nutrici\u00f3n (CIBERObn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Instituto Agroalimentario de Arag\u00f3n (IA2), Universidad de Zaragoza-CITA, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2024). 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