It seems that Israel’s Economics Ministry has taken iodine with a grain of salt – doing nothing for decades to require the addition to table salt of the vital trace mineral, which is needed by the body for making thyroid hormones that regulate metabolism and is vital at all ages, but especially for growth and development during pregnancy and infancy.
Unfortunately, while the Health Ministry is well aware of its importance, it has not taken action to require its sister ministry to establish mandatory addition of iodine to all salt sold and included in foods. According to new data, 124 countries around the world have mandatory legislation for salt iodization, and 21 countries have voluntary iodization programs.
This widespread adoption of iodized salt has significantly reduced global iodine deficiency. Ironically, Health Ministry public health officials persuaded the Palestinian Authority in 1996 to require the addition of iodine to all salt sold there.
The topic is to be raised yet again later on July 16 in the Knesset Health Committee, but whether it will take serious action is not certain.
Prof. Ronit Endevelt of the University of Haifa’s Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, School of Public Health, and long-time head of the nutrition division at the Health Ministry told The Jerusalem Post that she doesn’t comprehend the reasons for the government’s negligence.
The subject has been discussed in many meetings, including in the Knesset, but no action has been taken. “The ministry’s legal department has to prepare material and send it to the Economics Ministry, but apparently the lawyers are too busy,” she speculated.
PROF. DANIEL MANDLER of the Institute of Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) has studied salt for many years. His group of 20 doctoral students deal with a wide spectrum of materials in their scientific research, spanning from fundamental electrochemistry through the imprinting of nano objects, the chemical and electrochemical deposition and coating of implants, solar energy conversion, and electricity storage.
“Israel’s table salt is produced from filtered Mediterranean Sea water at Atlit, south of Haifa. The process used by the Salt of the Earth (Melech Ha’aretz) company to make salt results in a very clean product. Most countries add iodine; in many, it is mandatory, and in others, voluntary. Enforcement is not strong in some.
“Depending on a person’s age, one needs to consume 150 micrograms of iodized salt per day. That doesn’t mean swallowing two teaspoons. As it is, Israelis love potato chips and other salty snacks and get too much from processed foods, cheeses, and the like. Unlike the Japanese, Israelis don’t eat shellfish, which contain natural iodine, or very much fish. Most Israelis lack adequate amounts of iodine,” said Mandler.
In addition, “much of our drinking water is desalinated, so there are no minerals, including magnesium, which is also an important mineral needed for numerous bodily functions, including muscle and nerve function, blood sugar regulation, and bone health,” he asserted. “It’s likely that lobbies working in the Knesset try to persuade MKs against making iodization mandatory.”
The thyroid – a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of the neck – is a key part of the endocrine system, producing hormones that regulate metabolism, and growth and development and play a crucial role in many bodily functions, including breathing, digestion, heart rate, weight, and mood.
Individuals with inadequate iodine are tired. But the levels of thyroid hormones are not checked in most standard blood tests. An overdose, Mandler added, “is very unlikely.”
Moran Magnazi, the current head of the Health Ministry’s nutrition division, has held meetings with industry; she says she believes that there is now an opportunity to pass regulations and pushed for the July 16 Health Committee meeting.
A public issue without public knowledge
PROF. ARON TROEN, who directs HUJI’s Nutrition and Brain Health Laboratory and teaches in the School of Nutrition Science and the School of Public Health, declared that “it’s time to put this back on the public agenda. Most Israelis can’t read scientific material on this issue and understand it.”
Asked what is causing the incredibly long delay in implementation, Troen suggested that “non-scientific factors often surpass science and evidence,” such as “economic interests; legal and bureaucratic hurdles; ideological-political interests; concern over excess and harm (actual and perceived); cost/utility and risk/benefit analysis and mitigation; public mistrust of science and government; and the cost of monitoring.”
Troen added that “the influence of experts is diminished by populist antidemocratic trends in Israel. Salt production is entirely monopolized by Salt of the Earth, which is part of the Sugat Group, one of the country’s 10 largest food companies that consists of a portfolio of food firms managed jointly [including] Sugat (sugar and rice), which is responsible for over 98%, encompassing both iodized and non-iodized variants.
“It markets iodized salt at a premium price. Government policy effectively promotes non-iodized salt! It is price-controlled, but iodized salt is not – so when consumers buy the iodized brands at NIS 27 per kilo, it is 11.4 times more expensive than ordinary salt that costs NIS 2 per kilo.”
Iodine supplementation saves public money due to reduced medical costs. Salt packages here carry no mention that the Health Ministry recommends restricting salt consumption to lower the risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases, Troen concluded.
The back of package labels reads: ‘Iodine is an essential mineral for health and bodily function at all life stages. Iodine-enriched sea-salt has exactly the same beloved and familiar flavor. Recommended for the entire family. The Health Ministry recommends enriching salt with 30 mg. of iodine per kg of salt.’ “
So there have been enough delays, public health experts agree. The time has come for the government ministries and MKs to get their act together.