Iodine is a natural element required by the human body for proper physical and mental development. It is essential to the production of hormones that affect many parts of the body, particularly muscles, the heart, liver, kidneys and the brain. While most people receive sufficient amounts of iodine from their daily diets, more than one billion people worldwide are at risk of iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) because their soil lacks iodine and because they lack access to foods which contain iodine.

Physical manifestations of IDD include mental retardation, coordination abnormalities, deaf-mutism, spastic diplegia (spastic paralysis of the lower limbs) and dwarfism. During childhood, mild IDD can result in permanent intellectual impairment, with the intelligence quotient lowered by 10-15 points. During pregnancy, IDD may cause irreversible damage to the fetus, as well as spontaneous abortion and still birth.

Iodized Salt

IDD can be easily avoided by consuming sufficient amounts of salt fortified with iodine during the salt refining process. Salt fortification is a highly cost-effective method of ensuring that everyone receives a steady and continuous iodine supply. In fact, fortification of common foods has eliminated IDD in the developed world. Salt has become the most accepted food for iodine fortification because it is one of the few commodities that is almost universally consumed by all sections of a community, and at approximately the same level throughout the year, irrespective of economic level.

The elimination of iodine deficiency disorder was a goal adopted by government leaders at the 1990 World Summit for Children. During the last two years, UNICEF, WHO, and ICCIDD have organized regional gatherings of salt producers to press for the achievement of universal, global salt iodization in every country that needs it. PSI has advanced the achievement of this ambitious and worthy objective in several countries, and was invited to present our experience social marketing iodized salt at these gatherings.

PSI first introduced iodized salt social marketing with UNICEF support in Pakistan in 1994. The project increased iodized salt market share from 2% to 35% in just three years. This success gave impetus to other PSI programs to start iodized salt projects. PSI and UNICEF in Myanmar increased iodized salt share from 23% to 58%, and in a pilot in Paraguay that increased share from 51% to 71%.

When Albania's sole salt production facility was bombed, the PSI office there worked with a Greek salt manufacturer to import iodized salt, and to do so in product packaging specifically designed for the Albanian market, one with a readily identifiable iodized salt logo. Owing to the unrest, the effort to achieve universal iodization was suspended for several years. Recently, the challenge was taken up again, and UNICEF has asked PSI to conduct a communications campaign in 2002 to reach northern areas of the country known to have especially widespread and severe of iodine deficiency.

Also in 2002, in Romania, PSI at the request of UNICEF conducted consumer research, produced an in-depth market assessment, and wrote an action plan to achieve universal consumption of iodized salt.