CHENNAI: "The Government needs to focus on the small scale salt manufacturer to ensure that the poorest of the poor benefit from consuming iodised salt, which is like a vaccine for optimum brain development," according to R. Sankar, Regional Manager-South Asia, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition.

Speaking on "Ethics and Public Health Policies Universal Salt Iodisation Progamme — A Case Study" at a meeting organised by The Hindu Media Resource Centre of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), here on Friday, Dr. Sankar said: "There is a need to reduce freight on iodised salt and to increase the availability of wagons for its transportation throughout the country."

Cost concerns

Referring to the cost concerns regarding iodised salt, as iodine is imported from other countries, he said the Government should exempt it from import duty and sales tax. The National Family Health Survey-2 (NFHS-2) showed a lack of awareness among people with regard to the benefits of iodised salt, he said, calling for an appropriate, sustained and intensive information, education and communication campaign. He also favoured an external independent quality assurance programme to ensure production of quality iodised salt.

Bring legislation

Stressing the need for legislation to make iodisation compulsory, he said that in the absence of proper education, `the freedom to choose' would not offer the right choice.

"Legislation presupposes effective monitoring and enforcement based on the partnership of the salt industry and Governmental agencies. In such a partnership, the Government seeks improved public health and the industry seeks protection against competition with non-iodised salt."

Dr. Sankar said the NFHS-2 showed that people in the low socio-economic stratum had the least coverage of iodised salt, as they consumed salt produced by small-scale manufacturers, who often did not iodise salt adequately.

Increased output

Describing India as a pioneer in recognising iodine deficiency as a national health problem, he said iodised salt production in the country increased from 0.2 million tonnes in 1983 to more than four million tonnes in 2000, marking an increase of 20 times in a span of 17 years. The infrastructure to produce the required quantity of iodised salt had been established and the proportion of the population consuming salt had the potential to reach or exceed 90 per cent, he added.

Households consume less

However, measures such as lifting the ban on the sale of non-iodised salt in September 2000 and increasing the freight for transporting salt by rail in April 2001, had resulted in a major drop in the household coverage of iodised salt.

The NFHS-2 in 1998-99 showed that 49.3 per cent of households in the country were consuming adequately iodised salt while the Reproductive and Child Health survey in 2001-2002 showed that this had dropped to 37 per cent. Programme Director of the Technical Resource Centre on Food Security, MSSRF, Venkatesh Athreya said salt iodisation had been the preferred strategy for elimination of iodine deficiency.

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