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“It started as a small lump on my throat and gradually swelled to the size of a melon” annapurn_final.qxd 28/2/05 1:51 pm Page 4

Nura Hamid now sells Annapurna iodised salt from her stall in Saltpond’s weekly market. “It wasn’t painful but it made me feel very uncomfortable socially, so I tended not to mix with other people”

ays Nura Hamid, a 40 As well as goitre, it also “ It costs just five to it – has long been a way year old mother of two causes mental retardation, of doing this. Over the past Sliving in Saltpond, a brain damage and, in pregnancy, cents a year to decade Ghana Health Service fishing town in Ghana’s still births, abortions and provide someone has run numerous public central region. congenital abnormalities. awareness campaigns on the with sufficient need for iodine, but these Nura’s lump was a symptom “The real impact of iodine have had limited success. of goitre, one of a number deficiency isn’t physical, it’s iodine” of disorders caused by iodine mental”, explains Rosanna The challenge in Ghana, deficiency. She is now fully Agble, head of nutrition at as in other countries where recovered from the condition Ghana Health Service. much of the population lives that made her life so difficult “Iodine is a key micronutrient just five US cents a year on less than a dollar a day, is for so many years but her in the early stages of brain to provide someone with persuading people to switch condition is by no means development, so children sufficient levels of iodine to to iodised salt when historically unusual. According to born to iodine-deficient prevent these disorders and it has cost twice as much as UNICEF, 740 million people, mothers often have a lower believes the best way of the raw, non-iodised salt they more than the combined IQ. This not only limits the achieving this is to add iodine are used to buying. population of Europe and child’s individual potential, to the nation’s diet through the USA, suffer from iodine it also has wider social and the salt that it buys for deficiency and it is most economic implications”. cooking. Iodised salt – salt acute in developing countries. UNICEF calculates it costs that has had iodine added annapurn_final.qxd 28/2/05 1:51 pm Page 5

Even after finding ways to address these obstacles, there was still the challenge of persuading consumers to try this new product. A series of roadshows was organised to raise awareness of Annapurna, with the brand’s health messages aligned with those of Ghana Health Service to Christian Asante (left), former business build consumer confidence. manager of Unilever’s Popular Foods Team in Africa with Paul Victor Obeng, Since its launch in 2000, owner of Ningo Salt Production, a solar evaporation salt plant outside Accra Annapurna has helped to that supplies Unilever with iodised salt. nearly double the use of iodised salt in Ghana, from 28% of the population in “Since we started working 1998 to around 50% of the with Unilever we’ve been Ernestina Agyepong (left) nutrition project officer, UNICEF, talking to Rosanna Agble, head of nutrition, Ghana Health Service, and Herbert Smorenburg, head of the population in 2002. The product able to produce a higher Unilever Health Institute, Ghana, as she sets out from UNICEF’s offices in Accra. became profitable for Unilever quality product, accelerated after just 18 months, nearly sales and probably saved four two years ahead of schedule, years in our development plan”. “ To put real And that’s exactly what and now accounts for around the Popular Foods team has half the market for cooking salt In fact, it has proved such tangible things done. To get prices as low as in Ghana. a successful model that in place you possible, Unilever scrutinised Unilever is planning to the cost of everything. Where introduce Annapurna salt to need the something did not add value, “ This really has other countries in Africa and private sector” it was taken out. To keep been a win-win- is launching new products capital costs down, they enriched with micronutrients, outsourced production of win situation” such as biscuits fortified with iodised salt, creating over vitamin A and zinc to boost 200 jobs. They developed children’s immune systems. partnerships with local NICEF has done much manufacturers, investing to raise awareness of time, resources and training “This really has been a win- Uthe importance of to help them raise quality win-win situation”, says iodine in the diet but, as standards. The company Raphael da Silva. “Unilever Ernestina Agyepong, was able to save on brand has developed a successful UNICEF’s nutrition project development costs by business, UNICEF and the officer in Ghana with drawing on its experience Ghana Health Service have responsibility for control of in India, where Unilever had achieved much greater take- micronutrient deficiencies developed a low-cost iodised up of iodised salt, and our explains, “we at UNICEF can salt called Annapurna – the decision to outsource Krrunchy, a biscuit fortified with vitamin A push things so far but to put first brand in the world to be production has had a big and zinc to boost children’s immune real tangible things in place endorsed by the International impact on local employment systems, which Unilever has launched you need the private sector”. Council for Control of Iodine in Ghana following the success of and manufacturing”. Annapurna salt in helping to tackle Deficiency Disorders. This had iodine deficiency. Unilever has been in Ghana proved popular in urban and UNICEF’s Ernestina Agyepong since 1963 with brands like rural parts of the country. As agrees. “Before we teamed Sunlight, Omo and Blue in India, Unilever has made up with Unilever it took a lot Above all, this initiative Band margarine. It is keen to this available in sachet sizes of advocacy getting all the has been a success for the build its market share in sub- as small as 100 grams and at salt producers to understand millions of people who now Saharan Africa, but selling prices as low as 500 Ghanaian the importance of iodine and have access to affordable brands profitably to people cedis a packet – the quality standards. Unilever iodised salt and the hundreds with such low incomes at a equivalent of six US cents knew all this already and had of people involved in price they can afford to pay – to place it within the price the production and marketing distributing Annapurna salt represents a formidable reach of some of Ghana’s know-how to promote an in the towns and villages of challenge. According to poorest families. iodised salt. Above all, they Ghana. Among their number Raphael da Silva, head of had the willingness to do is Nura. Although she never Unilever’s Popular Foods Manufacturing, packaging things and weren’t bogged suffered from the worst team in Africa, “the only and pricing were not the down by bureaucracy”. effects of iodine deficiency, way you can persuade people only challenges they faced. her experience of goitre to switch to an iodised salt is Seventy per cent of Ghana’s or Paul Victor Obeng, and her recovery from it if you can sell it at or close to population lives in rural areas owner of a large solar have made her an enthusiastic the price people are used to and some of the places where F evaporation salt advocate of iodised salt. paying for raw, non-iodised iodine deficiency is greatest production plant outside An enthusiasm she is now salt. And the only way you are in the most remote parts Accra, the business partnership putting to good use by can do this is by rethinking of the country, where roads with Unilever has also selling Annapurna salt the business system and the and transport are poor and brought benefits. from her stall in Saltpond’s way brands are normally retail distribution channels weekly market. developed and sold”. are almost non-existent. annapurn_final.qxd 28/2/05 1:51 pm Page 2 Photographs Peter Jordan (this page Chris Martin)

Members of Unilever’s Popular Foods team take their roadshow on tour with the message that Annapurna iodised salt is ‘for growing minds’.

nilever believes that one of the together to make a measurable Global Challenges – Local Actions best and most sustainable ways it contribution to the United Nations – River pollution in Indonesia Ucan help to address global social Millennium Development Goals and, in – Diarrhoeal diseases in Asia and environmental concerns is through particular, MDG 4: “the reduction by – Climate change/refrigeration in Europe the very business of doing business in a two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, of – Rural micro-entrepreneurs in India socially aware and responsible manner. the under-five mortality rate”. – Sustainable fishing off Africa

This is one in a series of occasional If you would like to know more We would like to hear from you. articles called Global Challenges – Local about UNICEF’s nutritional priorities If you have any questions about this Actions that looks at how Unilever and the work it is doing on the ground publication or any other aspect of companies are tackling global social and to deliver essential micronutrients, Unilever’s environmental and social environmental concerns by working in visit www.unicef.org/nutrition/ policies, please contact: partnership with local, national and index_action.html [email protected] international agencies, governments, business organisations and NGOs. If you would like to know more about Or write to: Corporate Relations Unilever’s social and environmental Unilever PLC For more details of how Ghana Health activities, please visit www.unilever.com/ PO Box 68 Service is working to improve the ourvalues/environmentandsociety. There London health of people living in Ghana, you will find copies of our latest social EC4P 4BQ visit www.moh-ghana.org and environmental reports and copies of United Kingdom previous articles in this series. Subjects of Corporate Relations Following the success of their other articles include: Unilever N.V. collaboration in Africa, Unilever and PO Box 760 UNICEF decided to formalise their 3000 DK Rotterdam partnership in December 2004, to work The Netherlands

Cover picture: Nura Hamid, a forty year old mother of two from Saltpond, Ghana, who used to suffer from goitre, an iodine deficiency disorder.