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Iodine deficiency disorder, or IDD, is a worldwide phenomenon which governments wish to stamp out by means of providing their populations with iodine fortified foods. IDD affects populations adversely, especially in Africa, attacking the youthful, exuberant minds of future generations. This stifles their potential by locking them in a world of intelligence which is far below that of the average human being. The effects from the numerous disorders associated with IDD should have prompted the legislative arm of the government to bolster the existing legislation on the fortification of foods with iodine to ensure that the nation as a whole is provided with the necessary amounts of this nutrient to curb future incidents of IDD.
The LRC, in collaboration with a number of participants drawn from relevant organisations, seeks to look at the feasibility of including the legislative backing to the production and sale of fortified foods. The essence of the Food and Drugs Amendment Bill was to include in the existing Act the charging and retention of fees by the FDB. However, the LRC had other ideas for the Bill’s platform; it was a chance to address the serious issue of the fortification of foods with micronutrients - especially iodine. This issue has not been discussed since the last meaningful legislation on the matter in 1995.
The LRC and the Parliamentary Committee on Health (PCH) invited Mr. Saani Ibrahim to provide an overview and background information on the issue of the necessity of food fortification. In addition, two resource persons were invited; Mr. Ireneous N. Soyiri and Dr. W. B. Owusu. Mr. Saani Ibrahim presented a telling legal overview of the history of food fortification in Ghana, which not only covered the legalities enclosed but also the necessity for inclusion of key instruments in the Food and Drugs Board Amendment Bill in order to curb an illiterate if not invalid future generation. Mr. Soyiri and Dr. Owusu both touched on the importance of micronutrients, especially iodine, in our diets, provided figures for nationwide use of fortified foods, and suggested other foods that could be used as fortification mediums.
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