Tamil Nadu pitches double fortified salt as public health response to anaemia

Tamil Nadu has proposed the wider use of double fortified salt, enriched with iron and iodine, as part of its strategy to address the state’s anaemia burden, particularly among women and children. The move is aimed at embedding nutrition support into everyday diets through a commonly consumed household staple.

State officials said salt fortification offers a practical route to improve iron intake at scale, especially through the public distribution system, which has deep reach across income groups. Unlike iron supplements that depend on regular compliance, fortified salt works through routine consumption, making it suitable for long term public health coverage.

The salt variant has received regulatory clearance from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and has already been used in pilot programmes in several parts of the country. Tamil Nadu has argued that expanding its use through welfare channels could help address iron deficiency without altering dietary habits.

Anaemia continues to be a major concern in the state, affecting maternal health, child development and workforce participation. Health officials pointed out that iron deficiency often goes undetected until it leads to more serious complications, underlining the need for preventive measures rather than reliance on treatment alone.

The state has sought support from the Centre to scale up procurement and ensure consistent supply, while also stressing the importance of public communication to counter misconceptions around taste or quality. Nutrition experts maintain that when manufactured according to standards, double fortified salt does not change flavour and can complement existing nutrition and health programmes.

If implemented at scale, the proposal could mark a shift towards integrating food fortification more firmly into mainstream public health policy, using everyday consumption patterns as the primary delivery mechanism.