# What happened to iodized salt? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 17, 2020, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975 "2020-05-17T13:36:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/1 "2020-05-17T13:36:49Z")
I just noticed that all of the salt in the grocery store has a label that says it does not contain iodide. It used to be that all plain ol’ salt was iodized. Now the Morton’s girl no longer gives me this essential nutrient. What happened? ---
**Author:** ![a6ka97](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c2a13f/32.png) [@a6ka97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a6ka97)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/2 "2020-05-17T13:39:52Z")
There was a run on iodized salt and back filled the shelf with non-iodized salt? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/3 "2020-05-17T14:18:30Z")
Just panicked and checked my container, which says “Morton Iodized Salt”. Thank god, otherwise I’d soon have a goiter the size of Indiana. :eek: Maybe Morton’s has a sideline of non-iodized salt for the iodine-hesitant. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/4 "2020-05-17T14:43:57Z")
Normally the supermarkets have Morton’s salt (and usually other brands) in those cylindrical container, in both iodized and non-iodized varieties. The crisis has meant weird stocking issues with stuff you wouldn’t expect in the supermarkets and big box stores, which may be why you’re not seeing iodized salt right now. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/5 "2020-05-17T14:45:06Z")
Sea salt generally isn’t iodized. I have found Morton’s iodized sea salt in the familiar cylindrical container, but it was also fine grained, and generally with sea salt you’re going for the coarser texture so I never bothered to get it again. If normal everyday iodized table salt is missing from the shelves, that’s probably a fluke or a Covid-19 related run on it. Nevertheless, I think the rise in popularity of sea salt and Himalayan varieties just means those are taking up relatively more shelf space. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/6 "2020-05-17T14:54:59Z")
Non iodized salt is preferred for pickling and canning. Iodized salt can cause weird colors and has anti caking additives. My household has done several batches of pickling since shelter in place orders. Eggs, onions, jalapeños, cuke’s, garlic. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/7 "2020-05-17T15:08:52Z")
Maybe it’s a temporary supply thing but it doesn’t make sense to me. The store has lots of Morton’s a store brand salt–cases of the latter–but all of it is non-iodized. And **Chela** , this variety also has non-caking additive. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/8 "2020-05-17T17:41:46Z")
With a medically significant thing like this, the answer is often “morons.” Why is the vaccination rate falling? Morons. Why are people complaining about floridation of water? Morons. Why is there opposition to GMOs? Morons. So I wouldn’t be suprised if morons have decided iodine is bad and the market is supporting them. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/9 "2020-05-17T17:46:57Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > With a medically significant thing like this, the answer is often “morons.” Why is the vaccination rate falling? Morons. Why are people complaining about floridation of water? Morons. Why is there opposition to GMOs? Morons. So I wouldn’t be suprised if morons have decided iodine is bad and the market is supporting them. Or rather it may have been that it was due to the person who ordered a pallet of the wrong salt? ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/10 "2020-05-17T17:55:38Z")
> [@](#): > > With a medically significant thing like this, the answer is often "morons. Dangit **Darren**. I was going to say that! “Clean eating” is a disturbing trend. The salt that we “eat” isn’t natural to begin with. I hardly see how adding necessary iodine to salt makes things worse (or “less natural”). Link: [Iodine - Consumer](https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iodine-Consumer/) > [@](#): > > Iodine is a mineral found in some foods. The body needs iodine to make thyroid hormones. These hormones control the body’s metabolism and many other important functions. The body also needs thyroid hormones for proper bone and brain development during pregnancy and infancy. Getting enough iodine is important for everyone, especially infants and women who are pregnant. Feel free to look up hypothyroidism for people who think this isn’t a big deal. Just to add how disturbing that trend is: vegans are often iodine-deficient, and veganism has become more popular (though the rate of increase is exaggerated). Not all plant milks are fortified with B12 either, but that is [unnatural](https://veganhealth.org/b12-status-of-vegan-infants-and-toddlers/) and therefore “wrong”. We live in a society where people want to drink raw milk, or raw water (thankfully not too many people!) or not feed their children properly because their naturopath “knows better” and “doctors don’t understand nutrition”. That’s terrible, but doing this stealthily is worse. (I’m going to assume the salt shaker didn’t scream “natural, no iodine!” on it.) ---
**Author:** ![vonespy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vonespy/32/6204_2.png) [@vonespy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vonespy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/11 "2020-05-17T17:57:16Z")
Kosher salt seems to be a current thing with foodie types (with the exception of Cook’s Illustrated/Cook’s Country which seems to be just ducky with iodine). Kosher salt is coarser but breaks into tinier pieces when crushed, unlike sea salt which is one large grain of salt. (and neither sea nor kosher have iodine. Sorry, talk about burying the lede.) While it appears to be possible to overdose on iodine especially if your diet includes a lot of seaweed and other iodine-rich foods, it’s not very common in the US. I’d guess that you’d probably have high-sodium issues with iodized salt way before you’d have iodine issues. So if there is a no-iodine movement in the US, it probably does come down to Darren Garrison’s “morons” theory. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/12 "2020-05-17T18:06:11Z")
If you add iodine to kosher salt, is it still kosher? (Serious question here.) I had kosher salt once, probably ten years ago. It looked like flakes. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/13 "2020-05-17T18:06:18Z")
Some people taste a difference in iodized salt, esp in larger quantities, so prefer not to use it in cooking. Not because of misplaced health concerns. I’ve never taste-tested it, myself. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/14 "2020-05-17T18:16:39Z")
> [@Kimera757](#): > > If you add iodine to kosher salt, is it still kosher? (Serious question here.) Yes, all salt is kosher, whether iodized or not. Kosher salt is a misnomer. It’s called that because it’s the type of salt traditionally used for drying kosher meats. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/15 "2020-05-17T18:18:02Z")
> [@Kimera757](#): > > Dangit **Darren**. I was going to say that! “Clean eating” is a disturbing trend. The salt that we “eat” isn’t natural to begin with. I hardly see how adding necessary iodine to salt makes things worse (or “less natural”). > > Link: [Iodine - Consumer](https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iodine-Consumer/) > > Feel free to look up hypothyroidism for people who think this isn’t a big deal. > > Just to add how disturbing that trend is: vegans are often iodine-deficient, and veganism has become more popular (though the rate of increase is exaggerated). Not all plant milks are fortified with B12 either, but that is [unnatural](https://veganhealth.org/b12-status-of-vegan-infants-and-toddlers/) and therefore “wrong”. > > We live in a society where people want to drink raw milk, or raw water (thankfully not too many people!) or not feed their children properly because their naturopath “knows better” and “doctors don’t understand nutrition”. That’s terrible, but doing this stealthily is worse. (I’m going to assume the salt shaker didn’t scream “natural, no iodine!” on it.) Where did humans get iodine before it was added to table salt? ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/16 "2020-05-17T18:21:00Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > Where did humans get iodine before it was added to table salt? Meat. Fish and seaweed have an even higher amount of iodine. Here’s a referenced list: [Foods High in Iodine](https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/natural-foods-high-in-iodine.php) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/17 "2020-05-17T18:29:52Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Or rather it may have been that it was due to the person who ordered a pallet of the wrong salt? That still sounds like a “moron” situation… ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/18 "2020-05-17T18:31:43Z")
> [@Kimera757](#): > > Meat. Fish and seaweed have an even higher amount of iodine. > > Here’s a referenced list: [Foods High in Iodine](https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/natural-foods-high-in-iodine.php) According to their data, the US is taking in too much iodine–doesn’t surprise me much. Me, I use kosher salt and eat fish and sushi, not too worried about iodine deficiency. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/19 "2020-05-17T18:33:26Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Yes, all salt is kosher, whether iodized or not. If the source of iodine in the salt is shellfish how could the salt be Kosher? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975/20 "2020-05-17T18:43:40Z")
If mom has insufficient iodine in her, her baby may have a dysfunctional thyroid gland even before birth. This can result in Congenital iodine deficiency syndrome. Congenital iodine deficiency syndrome is the current technical term for Cretinism. Many cretins have IQs of between 51-70. This range of IQ was the medical definition of Moron, decades ago, before the word ‘Moron’ became a perjorative. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975.md?page=2)