Manual for employees in the program of monitoring and supervising supplementing table salt and flour with micronutrients program.

This employee manual, developed by the Nutrition Department of the Ministry of Health, serves as a guide to addressing malnutrition caused by micronutrient deficiencies, focusing on fortifying two key staples: table salt and flour. In 1996, in collaboration with UNICEF and WHO, the Ministry of Health launched the National Iodization Program for salt as a key strategy to combat iodine deficiency, assigning responsibility to the Nutrition Section and mandating iodization for all table salt through an integrated quality control system. The Jordanian Standard (Technical Regulation) No. 2012/32 (i) requires iodine fortification in the form of potassium or sodium iodate at a concentration of 20-40 mg/kg; (ii) stipulates that the product must be dry, smooth, and clean; (iii) reduces the validity of the declaration card from three years to one. Health inspectors play a crucial role in ensuring compliance by conducting on-site iodine tests at factories or laboratories, referring negative results to SFDA labs for further analysis, verifying production details, and labeling, maintaining production records, overseeing proper iodine storage, regularly validating quick testing devices, and monitoring iodine supplementation effectiveness.
Iron deficiency anemia is a significant public health issue in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, with iron deficiency being the most common and easily treatable form through dietary modifications and iron supplementation. In Jordan, the Ministry of Health has implemented national strategies to combat iron deficiency, including fortifying flour with iron and folic acid, a program now adopted by most mills across the country. Over time, the program expanded to include essential nutrients such as vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, A, and zinc, with vitamin D added in 2010. Micronutrient supplementation in flour plays a crucial role in improving maternal and child health during childbirth, enhancing mothers' ability to care for their children, boosting children's cognitive development and activity levels, and reducing infection risks. To ensure compliance with quality and safety standards, the flour supplementation program undergoes rigorous monitoring and evaluation, including internal quality control, external inspections of mills, marketplace surveillance, routine assessments of subsidized bread availability and consumer demand, and consumer-level evaluations. Health inspectors in directorates oversee the program by ensuring mills adhere to key requirements, such as proper premix storage with controlled ventilation, temperature, and humidity, maintaining input and recording systems, monitoring premix balance and availability, verifying the operation of mixers and feeders, ensuring continuous premix presence, and calibrating mixing devices based on flour production levels.