This Wednesday, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) published in the Official Gazette (DOU) the prohibition of batch 22992 of refined salt from the Carrefour brand. After analysis by the Instituto Adolfo Lutz, in São Paulo, it was found that the product did not have the minimum mandatory iodine content.
Therefore, it cannot be marketed, distributed or used, and the collection by the company was determined by the agency. In a note, Carrefour said that it carries out recurring analyzes of all products and that, in May, the batch cited had not shown an iodine content outside of the appropriate range.
Even so, he highlighted that the removal of the lot was requested immediately from all stores and that he is in “contact with the supplier to determine the fact”.
Why is the addition of iodine to salt mandatory?
Since the 1950s, the addition of the nutrient to salt has been mandatory in Brazil. The aim is to prevent iodine deficiency in the population and the resulting health problems associated with it. According to Anvisa Resolution No. 604/2022, salt must have a minimum content of 15 mg/kg of iodine, and a maximum of 45 mg/kg.
According to a publication by the Secretariat of Primary Health Care, of the Ministry of Health, at the time the measure was implemented, 20% of Brazilians had an Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD). In the following decades, the percentage dropped to 14.1%, in 1974; 1.3% in 1994, and 1.4% in 2000.
Before, due to the high prevalence of the problem in the population, the mandatory minimum iodine content was even higher. In 1999, for example, it was 40 mg/kg, with a maximum of 100 mg/kg. In 2003, it changed to the range of 20 mg/kg to 60 mg/kg. In 2013, the rule changed from 15 mg/kg to 45 mg/kg.
This review occurs because, in addition to the reduction in nutrient deficiencies among Brazilians, changes in dietary patterns and increased salt consumption favor the risk of an excess of iodine in the body due to the product. The current range follows guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO).
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Why is iodine important?
Iodine is a macronutrient used in the thyroid for the synthesis of T3 and T4 hormones, important for physical and neurological growth and for maintaining the body’s metabolism. Therefore, its functioning affects various organs of the body. The high or low production of these hormones are known diagnoses: hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.
However, iodine deficiency can impact this production of T3 and T4 and characterize a condition called Iodine Deficiency Disorders. According to the ministry, this can “cause cretinism in children (severe and irreversible mental retardation), deaf-mutism, congenital anomalies, as well as the most visible clinical manifestation, goiter (hypertrophy [crescimento] of the thyroid gland).
In addition, “poor iodine nutrition is linked to high rates of stillbirths and low birth weight, problems during pregnancy, and increased risk of miscarriages and maternal mortality.”
Mandatory salt enrichment with iodine is considered a successful public health policy to avoid these serious deficiency outcomes. The strategy is also used for other foods with other nutrients. Resolution 604, for example, requires the enrichment of wheat and corn flour with iron and folic acid.
