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PETALING JAYA: An association representing more than 4,000 sundries shop owners has warned of a possible salt shortage “in days” due to Putrajaya’s requirement to add iodine to salt starting today.
In a statement released today, the Malaysian Federation of Diverse Products Traders Associations said the entire supply chain did not have enough time to meet the requirement.
Its chairman, Hong Chee Meng, said the Health Ministry statement, issued on September 25, said iodine must be added to salt weighing less than 20 kg before it can be sold.
“It is very difficult for the market to comply in five days, which is a very short notice,” he said, adding that manufacturers and importers must have time to comply with the new requirement.
“Not to mention that there are tons of salt stored in the warehouses of manufacturers, importers, and distributors across the country that would have to be reprocessed to add iodine.”
Hong said that while the government stated that the regulation was published in 2018, there was no communication or consultation with the supply chain until five days ago.
“This announcement has taken many companies in the salt industry by surprise and companies and retailers are not prepared for it,” he said, adding that there was a lot of confusion in the market.
“If the government insists on not requiring the sale of iodine-free salt based on the current deadline, we anticipate that the market will face a nationwide salt shortage starting in the next few days, as wholesalers and retailers will have to stop to sell salt without iodine to avoid facing the penalty and wait for the products that meet the requirements to go on the market, which will take time “
He added that they were not against the requirement, but simply that the industry needed time to comply as it affected the supply chain across the country.
Hong urged the government to enforce the new requirement as of January 1, 2021, and to consider its economic impact at a time when companies were struggling to cope with Covid-19.
