Child nutrition

The issue

A lack of iodine can lead to goitre, an enlargement of the thyroid gland and a mild form of Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD). However, IDD can be much more serious – leading to retardation, brain damage and, in pregnancy, stillbirths and congenital abnormalities. Iodine is vital in the early stages of brain development and children who don't have enough develop an IQ 10-15 points lower than they would otherwise.

But according to UNICEF, 740 million people – more than the combined population of Europe and the USA – are iodine deficient. The United Nations has also identified that 30% of children under five in Africa suffer from IDD. In fact 50 million children worldwide are estimated to be currently suffering from IDD, and as many as 2 billion people are at risk of developing it.

The challenges

Adding iodine to cooking salt is the most effective way to supplement the diet, and in Ghana the law has stated that this should be common practice for many years. But enforcing this legislation has proved difficult and even when salt had been iodised, it was often sold in markets in large bags – so that much of the iodine was lost through exposure to the sun. Public awareness campaigns have also met with limited success, with the additional cost of iodised salt putting off many people in a country where over 30% of the population lives on less than a dollar a day.

The response

In 1999 Unilever Africa Regional Group created a separate business unit called Popular Foods to target mass-market consumers with nutritious foods at affordable prices. One of their first goals was to introduce Annapurna, a refined iodised salt sold in small sachets to help preserve the iodine – a product originally developed for the Indian market by Hindustan Lever. Annapurna is the first brand ever endorsed by the International Council for Control of IDD.

Affordability through creativity 

For Ghanaian consumers to make the switch the retail price had to be as close as possible to Annapurna’s un-iodised raw salt equivalents. So the Popular Foods team launched a project to re-evaluate their entire system for creating, distributing and selling products to make Annapurna affordable to even the lowest-income families.

Every cost was scrutinised and the most efficient systems developed. For example production was outsourced, which created 200 new local jobs and, with 70% of Ghana's population living in rural areas, new retail distribution channels were created. With retail cost a key issue the product was also made available in sachet sizes as small as 100 grams – ideal for iodine retention - and priced as low as 500 Ghanaian cedis, equivalent to six US cents.

Consumers also needed to be educated about the benefits of this new product, so roadshows were organised providing information about the brand consistent with the health information supplied by the Ghana Health Service.

A healthier nation   

Annapurna was launched in Ghana in 2000 and after three years over 50% of the market was using it. That means over 4 million people are consuming iodised salt who were not doing so before, which will lead to a reduction in iodine deficiency great enough to have a significant impact on Ghana's economic development. 

The Popular Foods team is now working with UNICEF and the Ghana Health Service to convert the rest of the population. One project involves visiting over 3 200 schools, mostly in rural areas, to educate school children who will then inform their parents about the importance of using iodised salt.

The success story continues 

Annapurna has now also been launched in Nigeria and plans are underway in other African countries including Malawi, Mozambique and Kenya. Under the brand, biscuits and rice fortified with vitamin A and zinc (to boost children's immune systems) were launched last year and new products are currently being developed by our Unilever Food & Health Research Institute.