Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 March 2007
1. Salt is a convenient household commodity which is generally used as a vehicle for iodine in the prophylactic treatment of endemic goitre.
2. Iodization of salt depends on the normal requirements for iodine, the intensity of the environmental iodine deficiency, the presence of goitrogenic factors and the daily salt consumption per head of the population.
3. Although the intake of most nutrients has been worked out during the normal course of dietary surveys in the past, the daily salt consumption per head of the population has not been estimated.
4. In this survey a simple method has been described for evaluating salt consumption and this finding will be the basis for planning the iodization programme in Ceylon.