Australia Adds Iodine to Bread

Australia has made it mandatory for bread producers to use iodised salt to help the country tackle its growing iodine deficiency.

Iodine affects the growth of newborns and hormone production in the thyroid which can lead to energy deficiency, depression, weight gain and mental slowing.

It is already included in the milk supply but the government says more needs to be done to provide the population with iodine to overcome growing health issues, particularly in the Aboriginal population.

Under the new rules, bakers will replace all regular salt with iodine-fortified salt at levels of 25-65mg per kilogram.

Importers of products containing break dough made with yeast and salt must also comply with the rules.

Australia’s food standards agency said this applies to loaves, buns, rolls, pita, naan, focaccia, pide, bagels, topped breads, buns and rolls, baked English-style muffins, sweet buns, and fruit breads or rolls.

Australia recently made it mandatory to include folic acid in such products – it said the move was done with similar timing to make it easier for producers to make changes to labelling.