Background. Iron (Fe) deficiency anaemia is a global disease that affects mainly women, young children, and the elderly. The article provided information on Fe characteristics, discussed the body’s requirement for Fe, the risk of Fe deficiency and excess, factors affecting the bioavailability of this element in the diet and the principles of supplementation. Moreover, dietary supplements (DSs) and Fe-fortified food were characterized in consideration of the legal requirements in force. These products are popular among consumers mainly due to the fact that they can be easily served.
Results and conclusion. Both of them can be used to supplement the diet with Fe. Some DSs enriched with Fe are dedicated to various age groups: children, pregnant women or the elderly, and thus can contain particular doses of Fe. DSs, in accordance with legal requirements, are in the form that allows dosing, i.e. in the form of tablets, capsules, draggers, sachets with powder, ampoules with liquid and others. Ironfortified foods are mainly recommended for people who exclude animal products from their diet and are at risk of Fe deficiency. Most often, these are products intended for direct consumption in the form of ready meals or breakfast, dessert cereals, vegetable burgers, sausages and others. Both in the case of DSs and fortified food, however, attention should be paid to the amount and chemical form in which this element occurs in each product to provide optimal supplementation. Furthermore, it is worth noting that not all products are subject to constant quality control and might be potentially dangerous for consumers.