NNC 7 Urges Public to Use Quality Iodized Salt

To bolster the fight against Iodine Deficiency Disorder, the Regional Bantay Asin Task Force of Region VII (RBATF 7) chaired by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and co-chaired by the National Nutrition Council(NNC) VII pushes for the manufacture, distribution and consumption of quality iodized salt region-wide.

NNC 7 Information Officer Norre Jean Delos Santos, on Wednesday said this was agreed upon in a RBATF 7 meeting on the third week of January 2015 held in Cebu City.

Delos Santos described Iodine being an essential mineral in the body, plays a vital role in health especially for a much healthier thyroid gland, metabolism, and brain.

However, she said there have been incidence of Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) affecting region-wide particularly to pregnant and lactating women with mild IDD.

Delos Santos noted that according to the 2011 updating survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, it indicated high iodized salt utilization coverage among households in the region with 49.5%.

The same observation stated that an average of 94.6% among the household in the region, tested positive to potassium iodate, higher than the national percentage of 80.1% using the salt testing solution.

Delos Santos emphasized that despite the high iodized salt utilization coverage and presence of potassium iodate in the region, results of the updating survey revealed that only about one-fourth of the supply of salt were iodized suggesting that the problem is on the availability of adequately iodized salt.

Iodine is being made from seafood and iodized salt, however, utilization of the latter is considered the cheapest and best intervention for the prevention and control of IDD as it is mostly used in cooking, and other food processing.

Delos Santos added that the task force which continues to monitor the implementation of the Republic Act 8172 or the ASIN Law which requires all salt for human and animal consumption to be adequately iodized, encourages both the manufacturers to ensure the availability of adequately iodized salt.

This, she said, is to be distributed in the region along with the constant monitoring and promotion of good nutrition through the use of iodized salt and implementation of Asin Law.

Delos Santos, further said the RBATF7 is also encouraging the general public to use iodized salt with the approved seal to ensure that the manufacturers have complied all the necessary requirements established by the government in the production of the quality iodized salt.