Accra, June 12, GNA - Ghana's level of consumption of iodised salt has dropped from 74 percent in 2005 to 50 per cent in 2006 due to lack of enforcement.

Mr. Jacob Armah, head of Nutrition of the Ghana Health Service, who made this known on Tuesday in Accra said the rate in 2003 was 44 per cent.

He said this had led to a drop in the production of iodated salt which did not allow the nation to meet the target over 90 per cent of the Universal Salt Iodisation set by the ECOWAS.

Mr. Armah said the problem pushed the ECOWAS to summon Ghana in Senegal in 2004 to answer for the drop because it was a major setback in achieving the targets under the project.

"This slur has caused Nigeria not to buy iodised salt from us again though we continue to supply other countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo and Liberia ".

Mr. Armah, who said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) explained that though the awareness creation was high, consumption was very low and attributed it to lack of enforcement, adding that, "the cottage level production areas stretching from the Central, Damgbe East and West in the Greater Accra, Keta, and Ketu in the Volta Regions are the very places where low consumption is always recorded".

The Nutritionist said, "it was rather unfortunate that the non producing countries such as Nigeria and Togo were far advanced in the consumption rates because they were enforcing the use of iodised salt than Ghana and Senegal which were the two main producing countries".

He was sceptical about the sustainability of the programme if the law enforcement agencies did not help to achieve the target of over 90

pe cent universal salt iodisation set by ECOWAS.

Answering concerns raised by a section of the public that they were recting to iodised salt, the head of nutrition confirmed that people with goitre would react to iodine, "but that would be for a short period while the elderly is also likely to react to iodine as well". He said such reactions include popping of the eyes, protruding eyes and hyper pigmentation, which could be easily managed when reported.

Mr. Armah called on Ghanaians not to read politics into the iodisation programme but embrace it with eager to address the health problems associated with non-iodised salt.