Using iodine in salt, a health step long enforced in Western countries, cannot by itself improve iodine shortages in Vietnamese people, experts agreed at a conference held last week in Hanoi.
Hanoi (VNA) - Usingiodine in salt, a health step long enforced in Western countries, cannot byitself improve iodine shortages in Vietnamese people, experts agreed at aconference held last week in Hanoi.
The conference, runby the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) andthe United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), was told that Decree09/2016/NĐ-CP issued by the Government on September 28 last year, regulated themicro improvement in food to overcome the shortage.
The decree gave enterprisesone year in which to supplement iodine into ingredients for processed food.
However, a survey on Julythis year conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)and the Ministry of Health (MoH) at several fish sauce processing enterprisesshowed that not one had followed the rule. Only salt processing enterprises observedthe rule.
Pham Quang Tung, anofficial from MARD, said enterprises said that salt being used to preserve fishmust be kept for more than one year to eliminate different impurities. Ifiodine salt was preserved for more than one year, the iodine would not remain,they said.
The enterprises were afraidthat iodine salt would change the colour and taste of their products. Moreover,no pilot fish sauce products being made from iodine salt have ever beendeveloped.
Other research by the MoHshowed that only six percent of residents used iodine salt in their dailymeals, and most of them were ethnic minorities.
Experts at the conferencealso showed the consequences of iodine shortage on people’s health, especiallypregnant women and children.
Nghiem Vu Khai, deputychairman of the VUSTA, said that the VUSTA would further proposals related tothe use of iodine supplements in food to the Government and concerned organizations.-VNA
Iodine, iron, zinc and vitamin A are four compulsory micronutrients that need to be fortified in food, according to a recent decree on food fortification approved by the Prime Minister.
Children from 6 months to 36 months old and new mothers will be given free vitamin A supplements in a national drive on the occasion of the Micro-nutrient Day (June 1 and 2).
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Vietnam has taken different solutions to prevent micronutrient deficiency, which is relatively common in the country, especially in rural and mountainous areas.
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Illustrative image (Source: internet) 
