India's iodine delivery policy is worth its salt

Salt is ordinary, cheap and ubiquitous— and for decades, it has been a delivery vehicle for iodine, a micronutrient essential for the physical health of mothers and children.

- CK Mishra

Iodine deficiency in pregnancy and early childhood can cause irreversible intellectual impairment, stunting and still births. Even mild deficiency harms school performance and long-term human capital. India began systematic salt iodisation in the 1980s, and evidence shows that when population iodine intake falls, measurable declines in learning and public health follow.