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The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has engaged market women in Agblobloshie in a grand durbar/open forum to appeal to them to ensure that only iodized salt is sold to consumers.
“Insist on sourcing iodized salt from suppliers and encourage buyers to use iodized salt,” the Chief Executive Officer of the FDA, Dr Mimi Delese Darko, told the market women.
That, she said, would increase access to the life-changing benefits of iodized salt and eradicate Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDDS) in Ghana. Dr Darko explained that iodine was an essential nutrient that produced hormones called thyroid for the body.
The forum formed part of the series of activities to ensure the implementation of universal salt iodization programme a success. The Ghana Universal Salt Iodization programme mandates salt producers to fortify their products with the right amount of iodine.
The forum further sought to raise awareness and encourage the sale and consumption of iodized salts in the country and steps to the effects of IDDs. The gathering brought together executives of the Agbogbloshie Market, Market Queens, salt commodity leaders, market women and officials of the FDA.
Dr Darko was convinced that the gathering would deepen the market women’s understanding of the importance of selling iodized salt at the end of the forum.
Highlighting the role of salt vendors in promoting the consumption of iodized salt, she tasked them to ensure that only iodized salt was sold in the market, urging them not to see themselves as just sellers but as “custodians of health, the guardians, who ensure that the products that reach our homes are not just affordable but also contribute to the well-being of our families.”
She, therefore, called on market women to work with the FDA to popularise the sale and consumption of iodine salt, expressing concern that iodized deficiency disorders continued to kill people in the country.
To address IDD in the country, Dr Darko said the government had introduced the Universal Salt Iodization Programme to ensure that Ghanaians, especially children, reached their full potential unhindered by preventable health complications.
The FDA boss said for consumers to get quality iodized salt, vendors must ensure the salt was not directly exposed to the sun or contaminated with non-iodized rock or coarse salt.
“Let us ensure that every household in Ghana has access to iodized salt, the simple yet powerful tool for a healthier tomorrow, a symbol of our commitment to a brighter, healthier future for all Ghanaians,” she added.
