China's National Health Commission plans to amend a 24-year-old regulation covering iodized salt, demanding that producers provide non-iodized salt to meet the needs of some groups.

The draft amendment calls for a scientific approach and a flexible policy in accordance to local conditions, requiring public disclosure of information about where to buy non-iodized salt.

Implemented 24 years ago to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders, the regulation no longer fits China's social and economic development and the food safety law, said authorities.

In 2017, China scraped table-salt price controls and ended a state monopoly on the production and sale of table salt, dismantling a 2,000-year-old system.

China has essentially eradicated iodine deficiency disorders but the lack of iodine due to the natural environment cannot be changed easily, said the commission, so the program requiring salt to contain iodine will continue.

In areas with iodine deficiency, iodized salt should be provided at restaurants and dining halls with provincial health authorities deciding concentration levels, said the draft.