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Bakers to use iodised salt

25 September 2009

You may not taste the difference but from this weekend our bread will contain the vital nutrient iodine. From Sunday 27 September 2009, New Zealanders’ will be at less risk of iodine deficiency as bakers will be using iodised salt instead of ordinary salt in bread. Only organic and unleavened bread will be excluded from this requirement.

Iodine is a nutrient that is essential for good health. Iodine deficiency is a global health concern and a re-emerging health problem in New Zealand.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), iodine deficiency is the world’s greatest single cause of preventable brain damage and mental impairment. It also causes thyroid diseases including goitre, a large swelling on the neck from an enlarged thyroid gland.

Despite increased access to iodised salt around the world over the past decade, WHO says that in 54 countries the intake of iodine is still too low.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has developed a mandatory iodine fortification standard to help address this iodine deficiency. The New Zealand Food Safety Authority’s (NZFSA) role is to monitor and enforce the food standard.

NZFSA assistant director of production and processing, Judy Barker, says replacing non-iodised salt with iodised salt in bread is a simple, low-cost way of boosting the iodine levels in our diet. “It requires minimum effort and cost to bread manufacturers who already add salt.”

Iodine leaches easily from the soil, and in New Zealand’s wet climate it isn’t available in sufficient quantities through the plants and animals we eat. Currently it is difficult for most consumers to obtain adequate iodine from their normal diet, which is why mandatory iodine fortification has been introduced.

NZFSA has consulted with industry to develop a user guide to help bread manufacturers, retailers and Food Act Officers interpret and apply the new standard. This user guide also contains information on the voluntary addition of folic acid to bread until mandatory fortification begins on 31 May 2012.

“There has been an 18 month transition period and much consultation for the mandatory fortification of bread with iodised salt,” Judy says. “We have received many questions from industry around the definition of bread, what amounts of iodised salt need to be added, and the labelling requirements. This user guide has been developed to answer these questions and assist manufacturers in implementing the new requirements.”

The user guide can be found on NZFSA’s website at http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/processed-food-retail-sale/bakery-products/index-1.htm

Ends

For further comment contact: Judy Barker, Assistant Director (Production and Processing), 04 894 2606 or 029 894 2606.

For further information contact: Gary Bowering, (Manager Communications), 04 894 2532 or 029 894 2532.