In this era of global obesity and diabetes epidemics, simple solutions to public health problems seem almostinconceivable. And if such an easily solved issue were to arise, it might be expected that politicians and public health authorities would jump at the chance to respond, claim victory, and improve the health of the population. The UK’s iodine-deficiency problem is one such issue. We’ve known since 2011 that the UK population is mildly iodine deficient. In fact, the country now ranks seventh among the ten most iodine-deficient nations in the world, one of only two high-income countries on the list.