Double Fortified Salt Offers Affordable Solution to Tackle Anaemia in India

Anaemia remains a major public health challenge in India, affecting over half of all women and nearly three-fourths of children. The condition leads to maternal mortality, malnutrition, impaired thinking skills, and economic losses. The Government of India launched the Anaemia Mukt Bharat strategy to prevent and treat anaemia, but one key preventive tool called Double Fortified Salt remains underused.

The Role of Salt

Double Fortified Salt is salt mixed with both iodine and iron. Because almost every household in India eats salt daily in steady amounts, it provides an easy way to deliver nutrition to the whole population. Universal Salt Iodisation already reaches about 95% of homes, and Double Fortified Salt is currently distributed to 76 million people across four states through government programmes. Trials in Bengaluru, Darjeeling, and Punjab show that it improves iron levels, and global reviews indicate it can cut anaemia by up to 21%.

Cost and Distribution

Costing between ₹14 and ₹20 per person each year, Double Fortified Salt is a cheap nutrition tool with a benefit-cost ratio of 4.2 to 1. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has issued a standard for it, and the government mandates its use in the PM POSHAN school feeding programme and the Integrated Child Development Scheme. However, its inclusion in the Public Distribution System, which reaches 800 million people, varies across states because implementation depends on local governments.

Context

Double Fortified Salt builds on the success of India's long-running iodised salt distribution network to deliver essential minerals without requiring changes to daily eating habits. Scaling this intervention nationally relies on better policy focus and smoother distribution through existing government food safety nets rather than new technology.