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Background:  Iron‐deficiency anaemia is particularly prevalent in pregnancy. The present study aimed to determine whether functional bread containing teff flour (i.e. naturally rich in iron) could be an alternative way of improving iron status. However, before testing whether its consumption can improve pregnancy iron status, the bio‐availability of iron was determined in a sample of nonpregnant women.

Methods:  Fifty‐eight women (20–50 years) were recruited from the University. Blood samples were taken at baseline to assess iron status and participants were screened to account for other factors affecting iron status. Twenty‐four participants (haemoglobin 9.5–14.0 g dL⁻¹) were recruited to take part in the intervention and allocated to five groups: (i) control bread (CB); (ii) teff bread (TB); (iii) TB + level 1 phytase (TB + P1); (iv) TB + level 2 phytase (TB + P2); or (v) a supplement containing 10 mg of …