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Ethiopia pioneers double-fortified salt to prevent neural tube defects
March 31, 2026
Ethiopia has near-universal access to iodized salt and national authorities are considering adding folic acid to iodized salt to address folate insufficiency and neural tube defects. However, providing double-fortified salt containing both iodine and folic acid (DFS-IoFA) may increase discretionary salt intake. We conducted a secondary analysis of weighed food records (WFRs) collected during a blinded, randomized controlled trial of DFS-IoFA in which participants were blinded to the salt they received. To evaluate whether providing refined fortified salt at no cost affects discretionary salt intake among nonpregnant adult females in Oromia, Ethiopia.