By Opesika Tetteh Puplampu, GNA
Sege, Aug. 24, GNA – The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that salt produced for human consumption is adequately iodised and meets the required safety standards.
Mr Benjamin Osei Tutu, the Head of Food-borne Diseases at the FDA, said the Authority would intensify monitoring of edible salt to ensure that consumers received properly iodised products and were protected from iodine deficiency disorders.
Mr Osei Tutu made the statement at the launch of a salt fortification and iodisation programme at Ada Songor, which brought together the FDA, the Ada Songor Lagoon Association (ASLA), Environmental Health Officers of the Ada West District Assembly, the Ghana Police Service and the Judicial Service.
He said the availability of iodine for salt producers provided an opportunity to strengthen compliance with the country’s salt iodisation requirements.
He cautioned salt producers and transporters against conveying industrial and edible salt in the same vehicle, explaining that the practice could result in cross-contamination and the possible misuse of industrial salt for human consumption.
Mr Osei Tutu urged stakeholders in the salt value chain to comply with FDA requirements to ensure that only safe and properly iodised salt reaches consumers.
Mr Abraham Ahuma Tetteh, the Public Relations Officer of the Ada Songor Lagoon Association (ASLA), said the association had secured access to enough iodine to support the iodisation of salt produced at Ada Songor.
He said ASLA would also supply iodine to selected salt artisans in the Volta Region as part of efforts to extend the production of adequately iodised salt beyond Ada.
Mr Tetteh said salt artisans had received training on the appropriate quantity of iodine required for different volumes of salt to enable them to apply the correct dosage during the iodisation process.
He said the training would help improve compliance and ensure that salt leaving the ADA area met the required iodisation standards.
Mr Tetteh also disclosed that ASLA was developing measures to help regulate salt prices, following concerns over increases in the cost of the commodity.
The measures were intended to promote stability within the salt market while ensuring that consumers and other actors in the value chain were not unduly affected by rising prices, he said.
Salt iodisation has been practiced in Ghana since 1994 following concerns over iodine deficiency disorders, with salt identified as an effective and affordable means of delivering iodine to the population.
The renewed programme at Ada Songor seeks to strengthen compliance among producers and ensure that salt intended for human consumption contains the required level of iodine.
GNA
Edited by Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo/ Christabel Addo
Reporter: Opesika Tetteh Puplampu, GNA