Cebu City – Close monitoring of adequately iodized salt use will soon be done in hotels, food chains and even culinary schools when provincial and city Bantay Asin Task Forces will be formed in Central Visayas.

In a resolution approved during a meeting held on 02 May 2014 at the Golden Valley Hotel, the National Nutrition Council 7 and the Regional Bantay Asin Task Force 7 agreed that the organizing of bantay asin task forces will soon be underway in the provinces of Bohol, Cebu and Negros Oriental and the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-lapu.

The formation of Bantay Asin Task Forces is seen to promote and ensure the use of adequately iodized salt in households, food establishments, hotels and culinary schools as well as monitor the availability of iodized salt in markets and groceries in the region. 

Republic Act No. 8172 was enacted as a national call in promoting the use of iodized salt to address iodine deficiency in the country.

These task forces will monitor and record the availability and usage of iodized salt in the region. They will also check at random the iodine content of manufactured salt and salt sold in markets. 

In its work and financial plan, RBATF 7 is integrating the Universal Salt Iodization campaign during the Goiter Awareness Month in January and the Nutrition Month celebration in July. A soft launching of the Adequately Iodized Salt Quality Seal is slated on June 20. // Paulo D. Salada & Donna Mae G. Ocmeja, UP Cebu MassComm Interns