RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: To find out whether iodised edible salt available for sale to the public is iodised, iodination is within the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) specifications and the labelling is accurate. DESIGN: 38 packets of iodised salt from 11 different brands were randomly purchased from retail outlets in 5 different areas and analysed for iodine content, crystal size and label information. RESULTS: All 38 packets were iodised but the iodine content in 68.6% of the packets were outside the range stipulated by the SLSI. In 52.8%, the mean iodine content was above the recommended upper limit of 40 ppm and in 15.8% below the recommended lower limit of 20 ppm. Only 31.6% of the packets were within the accepted 20 to 40 ppm range. None of the labels had all the required information. CONCLUSIONS: Legislation enacted in 1993 stipulates that all edible salt sold for human consumption should be iodised. Our study shows that more stringent measures should be adopted to ensure that manufacturers and importers of iodised salt conform to the required specifications.