More than two-and-a-half decades after its enactment, the government has finally decided to implement a long-delayed act regulating the production and sale of iodised salt in Nepal.
Although the act was passed in 1999, successive governments failed to issue the required notification in the Nepal Gazette, delaying its enforcement for 26 years, reported state-owned news agency RSS.
The Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, April 15, approved the proposal presented by Minister for Health and Population, Pradeep Paudel, to implement the act. As per the Cabinet’s decision, the act will formally come into effect with the publication of the notification in the Nepal Gazette, starting from the new fiscal year on July 17.
The decision paves the way for the government to legally address longstanding concerns over iodine-related health complications—particularly in children—which were flagged by earlier studies conducted by the Ministry of Health and Population.
According to Lila Bikram Thapa, Chief of the Nutrition Section under the Department of Health Services, a ministry-led study conducted nearly a decade ago revealed that children were suffering from serious health problems due to excessive iodine intake, driven by outdated iodine standards in salt.
A 2016 micronutrient assessment survey conducted by the ministry found alarmingly high levels of iodine in children aged 6 to 9 years. The iodine content in urine samples averaged 314 micrograms per litre, exceeding the safe upper limit of 300 micrograms per litre.
Health experts warn that such excess iodine consumption can lead to serious conditions including hypertension and thyroid dysfunction.
The law’s long-overdue implementation is expected to help regulate iodine levels in salt and align national standards with modern health recommendations, thereby reducing preventable health risks among vulnerable populations—especially children.
(With inputs from RSS)
