M S S R F - Centre for Research on Sustainable Agricultural & Rural Development

Note


Launch of Sundar Health Salt by MSSRF & Sundar Serendipity Foundation

(Vitamins and Minerals enriched salt)

Multiple micronutrient deficiencies exist in the poorer segments of our population. This is because of the fact that most of the poor people in our country are forced to be vegetarians due to socioeconomic reasons and the cereals and limited vegetables that they take do not meet the daily requirements of micronutrients particularly vitamin A, vitamin B12 , Folic acid, Iodine, Zinc and Iron.

Providing these micronutrients through conventional supplement route namely tonics would cost a family around Rs 150 per month. Most of our poor populations cannot afford this money.

Sundar Health salt is a common cooking salt enriched with vitamin A, vitamin B12, folic acid, Iron, iodine and zinc so that when the salt is used in daily cooking the daily requirements of the above micronutrients are met.

This product has been developed to reach multiple micronutrients to the poor in the most economical method at the cheapest cost namely Rs 15 per month. This means
about 15 paise per person per day for providing nutrition.

Product Development

This Product has been developed after intensive research, a process for providing the above micronutrients through the medium of cooking salt so as to take care of the nutrition of the entire family. Most of these micronutrients are not stable when present together, particularly in a medium like salt. We have achieved this stability. Again the iron compound in our product is in chelated form for best bioabsorbtion and vitamin A has been made stable in salt. This is an unique achievement.

Efficacy studies

Various clinical trials including Multicentric studies conducted has shown the following results

The product is well accepted as it looks and taste like common salt The use of our salt over one year had improved the iron, iodine and vitamin A status significantly. The use of our salt has improved productivity. The use of our salt has improved the memory and attention in children.

On the face of it ,one may tend to compare the price of our salt with the price of other salts in the market and may find it to be high. The price of our salt is essentially for the nutrition it provides to the entire family. Rs 15 per family per month for the nutrition provided is the lowest in the world. Salt, incidentally comes practically free.

Sundar Serendipity Foundatuion propose to market the salt essentially through Self Help Groups, socially motivated organizations and Village Knowledge Centers of the MSSRF.

Presentation made by
Prof.M.S.Swaminathan
Chairman, National Commission on Farmers of India

Presentation Made by
Mrs.Malavika Vinod Kumar,
Sundar Serendipity Foundatuion