The value of food fortification as a public health intervention

Making iodine fortification of bread mandatory in Tasmania successfully improved population iodine levels

Iodine is a micronutrient essential for thyroid hormone synthesis. Inadequate dietary intake is associated with preventable iodine deficiency disorders, including neurological impairment, goitre, and hypothyroidism. The effectiveness of iodised salt for improving population iodine levels and of urine iodine assessment for detecting deficits have led to iodine deficiency being eliminated in many countries where it was once a problem.1