The Food and Drugs Board (FDB) says it will not hesitate to prosecute retailers of non-iodated salt in the country, the Upper East Zonal Officer, Mr. Eugene Addo of the FDB gave the warning at Bolgatanga.
He indicated that it was an offence punishable under FDB Amendment Act, 1996 (ACT 523) to produce, distribute or sell salt for human or animal consumption if it contained less iodations.
Mr. Addo further added that transportation of non-iodated salt without permit from the FDB, the purchase and or offer of non-iodated or inadequately iodated salt were all offences under the law.
“The FDB will not therefore hesitate to ensure that anybody who flouts this law is prosecuted”, he added.
The FDB Zonal Boss said this when his outfit embarked on an educational programme in the Bolgatanga Municipality to sensitize salt retailers on the need to ensure that they bought only salt that contained adequate iodated salt from producers.
The retailers were schooled on how to use kits given to them by the FDB to check the level of iodine in salt before purchasing them from producers.
They were further sensitized to ensure that iodated salt get exposed to sunlight.
The traders were also sensitized on how to cover bagged iodated salt in a clean plastic on a raised plastic platform.
Briefing the Media before the exercise, Mr. Addo said in the past, the Board with support from UNICEF embarked on the sensitization programme on how to promote the consumption of iodated salt by the Ghanaian populace and indicated that the programme yielded some positive results but still more awareness needed to be done.
He said this time around, the Board had received support from the World Food Programme to step up the sensitization programme and noted that plans were far afoot to go into partnership with some local Radio Stations in the Region to use the various local dialects in the sensitization process and appealed to the management of the FM Stations to support in that direction.
Mr. Addo indicated that the awareness on the need to patronize iodated salt in the region had increased leading to the reduction of goiter, decrease in infertility, miscarriages, still births, neonatal mortality, congenital abnormalities, mental retardation in growing children, stunted growth in children among others.
“Iodine helps in making our children more intelligent. It is therefore incumbent upon parents to ensure that they use iodated salt in preparing food for their children to enable the nation get the quality human resource needed for development,” Mr. Addo said.
He admonished consumers to ensure they patronize only iodated salt, ensure that the iodated salt is not exposed to direct sunlight and also keep them in clean containers with covers.
Mr. Addo debunked allegation that the use of iodated salt in preparing food led to chemical contamination of foods, change the taste or flavour or colour or texture of the food, loss of nutrients in food which led to foods going bad early.**
