Apam, July 8, GNA - The Apam Salt Producers Association has appealed to the Food and Drugs Board to set up offices in salt producing areas.

Mr Ato Quiansah, Vice Chairman of the Association who made the appeal in an interview with GNA at Apam, said the opening of offices in the districts would go a long way in checking the use of salt, which have not been iodised and other unwholesome food items. Mr Quansah, who is a Director of the Crown Sea Salt Limited at Apam, said the Association welcomed the ultimatum for salt producers to iodise their produce July 1, 2005.

"We know the harm caused by iodine deficiency to the development of human beings especially to their mental faculty and will not resist any directive to ensure that our products are iodised", he said. Mr Quansah said the Association had embarked on a programme to train its members who had not benefited from the training to add iodine to their produce.

He commended the Food and Drugs Board for deciding to contract some pharmaceutical firms to produce iodine to make it easily available to salt producers.

Mr Quansah appealed to the Board to channel the distribution of iodine through Salt Producers Associations to eliminate middlemen and women who could make the price prohibitive. 08 July 05