Sathya Vijayagopalan has raised some important issues in her article, “Why are we meddling with our natural foodstuff?” (Open Page, Nov.28). Her reference to iodised salt, in particular, is significant. Many governments have banned the sale of non-iodised salt and only iodised salt is available in the market. Excess iodine can do more harm than iodine deficiency, particularly to the endocrine system.
As the middle and upper middle classes, and the rich take balanced food and food supplements, which already contain enough iodine, iodised salt intake would harm them more than the poor. Something should be done to bring non-iodised salt back in the market. As the author notes, “what little iodine you need you can get from natural foods.”
K. Vijayaraghavan,
Chennai
It is shocking to learn that refined food items like sugar, salt, rice and wheat flour pose health hazards. The gullible masses are taken for a ride by companies marketing them. Meddling with natural foodstuff should be declared an offence.
R. Gururajan,
Udhagamandalam
We pay more for our day-to-day food in the name of quality and end up incurring medical expenses in the long-run. We need clean food, not food fortified synthetically. Natural food is wholesome and in balanced proportion.
G. Venkateswaran,
Coonoor
