Only half of the Philippine households are adequately iodized, discounting a 2011 world report of 82.1 percent.
A May 2017 issue of The Journal of Nutrition published the results of a study on household coverage with adequately iodized salt in 10 countries, including the Philippines.
For salt with some added iodine, coverage swung from 52.4 percent in the Philippines to 99.5 percent in Uganda.
Focusing on the Philippines, it said that socioeconomic status (SES) is a risk factor, citing figures of 39.4 percent in high SES households compared with 17.3 percent in low SES households.
Correspondingly, consumption is higher in urban than rural households, or 31.5 percent compared with 20.2 percent.
Iodine deficiency disorder and mental impairment
Iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) is one of the most important causes of preventable mental impairment in older children and adults worldwide.
IDD poses a threat throughout one’s lifecycle and complications with pregnancy, including stillbirth, congenital anomalies and irreversible fetal brain damage.
While iodine deficiency can be effectively and inexpensively prevented by iodizing all salt for human and animal consumption, efforts in the Philippines have not been enough to turn the tide.
The Philippine’s Eighth National Nutritional Survey showed a 5-percent decrease in IDD incidence, from 14 percent in 2008 to 9 percent in 2013 among children aged 6 years to 12 years.
However, the National Nutrition Council-National Capital Region believes that there is still a need to strengthen the implementation of the Act for Salt Iodization Nationwide (Asin) law, or Republic Act 8172.
The law aims to promote the use of iodized salt and requires all salt manufacturers to iodize salts they produce and distribute.
Dr. Amelia C. Medina of the Department of Health Disease Prevention and Control outlined, in a 2015 news report, the challenges of implementing Asin law even after 23 years.
Major challenges were the lack of monitoring of supply and distribution of adequately iodized salt within Metro Manila and at the regional level, irregular supply of salt-testing kits, and the detection of the presence of iodine but not its quantity.
DOST-ITDI’s salt iodizing machine
Still, not everything is lost. Local government units (LGUs) may opt to reorganize, or revitalize the Bantay Asin Task Forces (BATFs).
As a leader in managing their respective National Salt Iodization Programs (NSIP), the LGU’s chief task is to ensure that salt distributed and sold to the public has at least between 30 percent to 70 percent parts per million of iodine.
At the Department of Science and Technology’s Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI), an improved technology was developed to maximize the production of high-quality, iodized salt in contrast to current traditional solar and cooking technologies.
DOST-ITDI’s re-introduction of its innovations in salt production is part of the core focus of the DOST’s support for revitalizing the salt industry.
With increased yield and quality, salt farmers may soon have less industrial salt shortages, and local workers can also supply the quality products demanded by local industries.
The DOST-ITDI offers several ways to aid salt producers and local BATFs in complying with Universal Salt Intake and NSIP.
These include: technical assistance for the improvement of salt farming; and brine management techniques for iodized salt production.
The DOST-ITDI also have designed/fabricated complete Salt Iodizing Machine (SIM) set.
The SIM consists of the iodizing salt machine, either continuous or batch type (tumble mixer), a salt washer and a spin dryer.
The agency provides assistance in capacity building for internal quality control/quality assurance; and calibration and training on using the WYD iodine checker, a device to measure salt iodine.
The institute is also engaged into conducting a salt micro-sizing study to support efforts on the salt-intake cutback.
Reduced salt size and structure result in maximum stimulation of the taste buds that can encourage a decrease in general salt use in commercially prepared foods and individual consumption.
Image credits: DOST-ITDI