Morocco
A new universal salt iodization strategy
Morocco’s Ministry of Health reached out to IGN and UNICEF in 2019 to revitalize the Universal Salt Iodization (USI) program. Working closely with the Ministry, IGN and UNICEF conducted studies to understand the specific roadblocks and identify solutions to improve iodine status. Several issues were identified, including limited resources for monitoring salt iodization, and lack of organization and registration of salt producers. This leads to ineffective control on salt iodization.
Despite Morocco’s overall adequate iodine status, more than one in five school-aged children and one in three women of childbearing age have insufficient levels of iodine, and some regions are more prone to overall deficiency. Only 7% of households consume adequately iodized salt, and one in four households consume only non-iodized salt.
Objectives
Improve salt iodization in processed foods.
Reinforce salt supply chain.
The role of iodized salt in processed foods
IGN and UNICEF advocated for coordinated engagement of government and salt producers in the USI program, leading to the creation of a roadmap to implement a new USI strategy and accelerate the elimination of iodine deficiency disorders in Morocco. IGN also works with a local partner, ASAP Consulting, in our efforts to support Morocco in developing a national salt iodization roadmap.
This work has strengthened the capacity of government to monitor the quality of iodized salt and has also improved organization within Morocco’s salt sector.
Another issue we have tried to work on is the use of iodized salt in processed foods. The catering sector committed to the new strategy, providing an incentive to reinforce the salt supply chain and improve the packaging, processing, and control of iodized salt. Local salt will also become fit for export, creating sustainable incomes for local producers.
UNICEF Morocco
Targeted support to vulnerable communities
Good progress has been made in the implementation of the roadmap at the national level in 2021. The program’s focus will shift to sub-national level in the south of Morocco, where most of the country’s salt is produced and in regions where iodine deficiency remains endemic. This targeted approach will ensure that efforts are directed towards areas where iodine deficiency is most prevalent and will help to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders in Morocco.
