Quality Control at production sites and in sales channels ARNOLD TIMMER, UNICEF REGIONAL OFFICE CEEC

1
Quality Control at production sites and in sales
channelsARNOLD TIMMER, UNICEF REGIONAL
OFFICE CEE/CIS Baltics13 October 2004
2
This presentation

• Linking quality control with overall programme
  aim
• Identify main programmatic challenges
• Identify main monitoring attention points
• Discussion and apply lessons learned to your own
  monitoring system

3
Purpose

• Establishment of a monitoring system that can
• identify problems,
• provide solutions,
• and
• ensure that corrective measures are taken.

4
Main Aim External Monitoring

• Ensure adequate iodine levels in salt at
  household level
• Ensure consumers access to iodized salt

5
Programmatic Issues

• Quality of iodized salt production?
• Iodine loss in salt between factory and
  consumption?
• Use of iodized salt for food processing?
• Use of iodized salt for animal consumption?
• Access of all population groups in all geographic
  areas to iodized salt?

6
Programmatic Issues

• Enforcement challenges?
• Illegal salt repackaging as iodized?
• Sale of non-iodized salt (originally produced as
  technical salt or edible salt)?
• Access of consumers to technical and/or
  non-iodized animal salt?
• Capacity to implement government standards (as
  spelled out in legislation) technical (testing
  equipment, training), inadequate manpower,
  roles/responsibilities not defined?

7
Use of information

• Who reports on information collected?
• How is the information reported?
• Does the reported information address your
  programmatic concerns?
• How will monitoring information be used?
• Who will use the information?
• How will the collected information lead to
  corrective measures in the production,
  distribution and use of iodized salt?
• Will the corrective measures have an effect on
  the final aim to ensure adequate iodine status of
  the consumer?

8
Salt Iodizaton Monitoring System
Salt Producers
Retail Stores
Households
Target Population
Salt Importers
Utilization and Impact
Access
Coverage
9
Salt Iodization Monitoring System
Certificate of quality
Locally Produced salt
Quality Control Inspection Technical Auditing
Quality Assurance
Retail Inspection
Imported salt
Certificate of conformity
Industry (internal)
External
Commercial
10
Salt Iodization Monitoring System
Illegal production trade
Iodine content in salt
min. 15 ppm
40 15 ppm
11
Salt Iodization Monitoring System
Iodine content in salt

• Factors of influence
• Time
• Humidity
• Temperature/light
• Packaging material
• Quality of salt
• KIO3 or KI

12
Studies China

• Salt used
• 572 samples from 58 salt companies from 31
  provinces
• Refined (purified, crushed) and unrefined crude
  salt
• Storage conditions, in kitchen
• Plastic container with cover
• Closed plastic bag
• In plastic bag but open
• Sealed big sack in factory
• Thoroughly mixed and samples analyzed at
• 3 6 9 12 months

13
Results - China

• Results
• No changes in iodine content during 1 year even
  in unrefined salt, even in open bags.
• Concentration varied over time in crude salt
  because iodine is less homogeneous in the salt.

14
Studies - Macedonia

• Normal temperature (20 C), humidity (40) and
  light
• Normal temperature (20 C), humidity (40) and no
  light
• High temperature, normal humidity and no light
• Normal temperature (20 C), high humidity and no
  light
• Duration 5 months

15
Macedonia Iodine Content (mg/kg)
16
Macedonia Iodine Content (mg/kg)
17
Macedonia Iodine Content (mg/kg)
18
Studies Micronutrient Initiative - salt from
several countries -

• Humidity 60 and 100
• Temperature 20 and 40 C
• Packaging polyethylene, woven bags
• Analyses 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months
• Results

19
(No Transcript)
20
(No Transcript)
21
Main iodine losses

• Refined salt retains iodine better than unrefined
  salt
• KIO3 is better retained than KI in salt
• Polyethylene package retains iodine better than
  carton or jute package, and better than no
  package
• In high humidity iodine retention is lower
• In high temperature iodine retention is lower
• Light does not influence iodine retention
• Retention of KIO3 in salt is 70-80 after 1 year
  in low humidity, polyethylene packages.

22
Programmatic Considerations

• What can be easily changed??
• Fortificant KI or KIO3
• Quality of salt
• The way and time salt is stored between factory
  and household
• The way people use and store salt at the
  household
• The way salt is packaged

23
Programmatic Considerations

• What can be easily changed??
• Fortificant KI or KIO3
• The way salt is packaged

24
(No Transcript)
25
External monitoringFocus what, where to
monitor?

• Iodine level adequate?
• Production!
• Wholesale?
• Retail?
• Household?
• Check if the monitoring you propose answers the
  programmatic questions that apply
• Is iodized salt production adequate and reliable?
• Do you need to identify areas/population groups
  with no availability to iodized salt?
• Is counterfeited salt/smuggling an issue?
• Etc.

26
Monitoring at retail level

• Retail shops may sell iodized salt and/or
  non-iodized salt. The main purpose for monitoring
  at retail level is to identify areas where
• An inadequate proportion of shops is selling
  iodized salt
• Non-iodized salt is available in the market
• Salt packaged and labelled as iodized is not
  adequately iodized

27
How to collect the information?

• Traditionally, iodine in salt tests
• Test kit
• Titration
• WYD checker
• Salt situation analysis
• Salt producers where does salt flow, clients
• Household surveys
• NGO and other reports
• National coalition meetings
• Observations

28
Use of information

• Who reports to whom?
• SES to national coalition
• Salt producers to salt association
• National coalition to Minister of Health
• How is information used?
• Define clear corrective actions to be taken
• Change number of samples and where samples should
  be taken
• Change standards
• Information campaigns
• Strengthen partnerships

29
Consider importance of corrective action

• Moderate climate, refined (high quality) salt in
  polyethylene, retention of iodine is of no
  concern if used within 1 year.
• Monitor
• Establish QA at factory level to ensure iodized
  salt produced according to standard
• Monitor iodine in salt at retail or household
  level
• If acceptable, no action required
• If not acceptable, check and improve quality of
  iodized salt, or increase iodization level
• Address other programmatic issues in your
  monitoring system
• Measures to improve household storage and use are
  a waste of time and effort and will show little
  result

30
Discussion

• Identify programmatic concerns
• Identify weaknesses in current monitoring and
  reasons
• Recommendations for further discussion in group
  work