Agriculture Ministry to implement technical regulations on iodized salt in food industry

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAFI) pledges to implement in the nearest future the new technical regulations in the field of food industry, including grain products, production of different sorts of cheese and canned fruits and vegetables, stipulated in the Iodine Deficiency Disease Reduction National Programme. Minister Anatolie Gorodenco met with Ray Virgilio Torres, UNICEF representative to Moldova, who pointed out that the Institute of Food Technologies performs at present scientific investigations in this respect, the studies proving that the use of iodized salt in bakery and canned vegetables does not influence the quality of the products. The discussed issues addressed aspects related to the fortification of flour with micronutrients, use of iodized salt in the food industry. Coordinator of the Affordable Access to Quality Services Programme, Svetlana Stefanet said that at present over 5 thousand children are being born with mental disabilities because of iodine deficiency during pregnancy. About 100 newborns risk dying shortly after birth because of their mothers’ acute anaemia, as the population is insufficiently informed about the importance of iodized salt and iron in food. During the National Food Conference, which was held in June 2007, it was mentioned that Moldova loses about USD 21.4 mln (0.7% of the GDP), because of the low work productivity in the case of grownups, generated by iron and iodine deficiency. The second National Programme was approved on May 17, 2007. It aims at ensuring exclusive consumption of iodized salt by 90% of families and reducing iodine deficiency-related diseases until 2010, including by using iodized salt in animal breeding and food industry.