Due to significant deficiency among Israelis: table salt to be fortified with iodine

The Ministry of Health announced a preventive measure to fortify table salt with iodine, in light of a significant deficiency among the population, especially children and pregnant women. The decision aims to prevent severe health consequences, including cognitive impairment, risk of stillbirth, and hypothyroidism. The fortification level was set at 30 mg of iodine per kg of salt.

The Ministry of Health announced today (Tuesday) a preventive measure to fortify table salt with iodine, in light of a significant iodine deficiency among the Israeli population. The decision focuses especially on at-risk populations: children and pregnant women. The Ministry emphasized that this is a simple and safe tool that will affect the entire population. Iodine is an essential component for the production of thyroid hormone, which is used for growth, development, and metabolism. Its deficiency can cause cognitive and neurological impairment, increased risk of stillbirth, infant mortality, birth defects, goiter, and hypothyroidism. Data from a representative sample of the Israeli population showed that about 60% of children and about 85% of pregnant women have a significant iodine deficiency. The new regulations stipulate that table salt in household packages will be fortified with iodine at a level of 30 mg of iodine per kg of salt, which is expected to add about 45 micrograms of iodine to the daily diet—about 30% of the recommended daily intake. The Ministry noted that the move is based on broad consensus among professionals and that this policy has proven health benefits. The recommended method is to replace regular salt with iodine-fortified salt, without increasing the amount of salt consumed.