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KUALA LUMPUR: With three months to comply with the new iodized salt rule before the January 1 compliance deadline takes effect, small supermarkets and miscellaneous retailers are replacing their non-iodized stock on the shelves with those that comply. with the requirements of the Ministry of Health.
On September 25, the ministry announced that iodine should be added to all fine salt or salt weighing 20 kg or less, after a finding showed that 48.2 percent of elementary school children between the ages of eight and 10 suffered from iodine deficiency.
In addition, 2.1 percent of children suffered from goiter, said Health Ministry Director General Noor Hisham Abdullah, while surveys of pregnant women and school students revealed suboptimal iodine intake.
The deadline, which was originally September 30, has now been pushed back to New Year’s Day following pleas from shopkeepers for more time to comply with the new rule.
In general, shellfish and seaweed contain iodine, as do enriched bread and dairy products, from cheese to milk to yogurt.
A salt manufacturer told CNA that the requirement is easy to meet, as the iodization process can be done in local factories. Importers can also simply bring in shipments consisting of iodized stock, he added.
Mr. Seow Jun Ze, partner and business development manager at salt maker Qingli Snd Bhd, said that his factory can process several tons of salt through its manufacturing setup, assembly line style.
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“The process is strictly controlled as the Malaysian requirements for iodized salt are between 20 and 40 parts per million (PPM), which means that for every kilogram of salt, we fortify it with 20 to 40 milligrams of iodide solution. sodium and we make sure that the solution is evenly distributed, ”he explained.
He added that in East Malaysia, iodized salt is the norm, having been published for sale in both Borneo states for more than a decade.
Salt is a fast-moving, controlled consumer good (FMCG), but it has no price controls due to its very low price, he said.
Every year Seow’s company imports around 100,000 tonnes of salt from Australia.
“Actually, the packaging and logistics cost of the salt cost more than the item itself,” he said.
A ton of raw Australian salt costs about $ 50 to buy from the producer, Seow explained, although the logistical cost of getting the raw salt to Malaysia would also have to be taken into account.
As for iodine, one kilogram, usually in the form of potassium or sodium iodide, would cost around RM150 (US $ 36.10) at international prices.
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“There is a small additional cost to iodize salt for consumers, but if you calculate how much salt you use distributed over a few months of your supply, it is hardly noticeable for most consumers,” he noted.
When the initial announcement was made just five days before the September 30 compliance deadline, Seow told CNA that some of its direct customers and those in the supply chain had recalled and replaced their stock with virtually iodized salt. overnight.
“Basically they incurred additional costs trying to meet the original deadline, and now it has been delayed,” he said.
THE PERIOD OF GRACE A RELIEF FOR RETAILERS
For Hong Chee Meng, president of the Malaysia Federation of Sundries Merchants Associations, the three-month grace period allows more time for small retailers to bring in more iodized stock.
Mr Hong opined that much more needs to be done to educate Malaysians about the reasons for using iodized salt, such as how the Ministry of Health has been educating people about sugar and its dangers.
“And indeed, law enforcement must also move up the chain to the manufacturers side, not just the retailers,” he said.
Empty shelves where packages and salt shakers are normally placed in a local hypermarket in the Klang Valley. (Photo: Vincent Tan)
One hypermarket chain that CNA spoke to agreed that the three-month period is more than enough to comply with the new rule.
“Salt is a fast moving product, and for our chain, we don’t store much, at most around two weeks of inventory. So for distributors and most midsize retailers, three months is more than enough, ”said Carol Lim, director of purchasing at Checkers Hypermarket.
The chain serves both retail consumers and other smaller retail stores in the supply line.
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While all sea salt naturally contains some iodine content, these may not meet the necessary dietary limits set by the government, Ms. Lim said.
REQUEST TO CONTINUE SELLING ORDINARY SALT
Despite the government’s requirement that all salt sold to consumers be iodized, Ms. Lim said there was still demand for non-iodized salt.
For example, thyroid cancer patients should avoid iodine before and after undergoing radioactive iodine therapy.
There are also questions about how retailers and importers of craft or specialty salts, such as Himalayan pink rock salt, would fare after January 1.
“They could be worse off because they don’t have a manufacturing resource to iodize the salt. If they can’t iodize it, they may not be able to liquidate their stock (on time) as the trade is unpredictable, ”explained Ms Lim.
As for the hypermarket chain, Ms Lim said the company would monitor the situation first, although all non-iodized stocks should be cleared by then.
Hong, chairman of the sundries traders federation, said his association raised the members’ request to continue selling both types of salt after January 1 at a meeting with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs. .
“But there is no official word yet,” he said.
