Losing a taste for iodized table salt
Print Edition
IMPROVED diets and increased health concerns are prompting some people to turn their backs on iodized table salt.
In 1994, the government introduced regulations requiring iodine to be added to all table salt after it was discovered that 720 million people had a deficiency of the element.
According to a March 2013 standard on the subject, the average proportion of iodine in table salt should be between 20 and 30 milligrams per kilogram.
However, under new regulations, regional and provincial health authorities can now set their own ratios depending on the requirements of local residents.
Cheng Yiyong, director-general of the Chinese Nutrition Society, said the move away from the compulsory iodine supplement “represents progress.”
According to a report by the Ministry of Health, the median of urinary iodine in Chinese people is higher than the “appropriate standard” set by the World Health Organization, though not excessive.
Scientific guidance
People are facing a very low health risk of iodine excess, the report said.
The reference to “higher than appropriate” is mostly a result of excessive salt intake, Cheng said.
Xie Huamin, a researcher with the Standards and Quality Center of the State Administration of Grain, said the country is in need of scientific guidance on iodine supplementation in table salt for each city and township.
One Internet user said Chinese people are “no longer in need of iodine supplementation thanks to better diets.”
A Beijing office worker surnamed Cheng said he switched to non-iodized salt when he found out his 10-year-old daughter did not have a deficiency.
“I can’t eat iodized salt due to my overactive thyroid, but now I know my daughter doesn’t need it, I am happy to use the non-iodized variety for my family,” he said.
The National Development and Reform Commission last week abolished its administration rules on salt franchising. Provincial governments can now examine and approve which companies produce, wholesale and transport table salt.
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