On 20 July 2018 WIA Director General Attilio Caligiani and the Board of the Sant’Anna School for Advanced Studies met in Pisa – Italy – to discuss opportunities in the context of the planned 7-year European Union scientific research initiative meant to succeed the current Horizon2020 program. The European Commission drafted and approved a plan for Horizon Europe to raise EU science spending levels by 50% to approximately €100 billion over the years 2021-2027.

On 18 June 2018 Prof. John Lazarus, IGN coordinator for Europe, and Attilio Caligiani, WIA Director General, met with Dr. Zbigniew Krol, Polish Vice Minister of Health. The meeting offered the opportunity to present the main outcomes of the EUthyroid project, which shows that iodine deficiency is regaining ground in Europe and how pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable in this context. Also, the meeting offered the opportunity to discuss the importance of a favourable European regulatory framework to facilitate the implementation of the measures promoted in Krakow Declaration on Iodine, as food and feed fortification with iodine. IGN, WIA and the Vice Polish Minister of Health agreed on a follow up meeting in October 2018.

On 21 May 2018 the second stakeholder meeting to define a multi-stakeholder strategy to tackle Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) at European and global level took place in Brussels at the WIA office. The meeting was hosted by WIA and attended by Attilio Caligiani – Director General of the World Iodine Association, Rutger Schilpzand – Secretary General of the Choices International Foundation, Greg Garrett – Director Food Policy at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and Iodine Global Network (IGN) Board member, Linda Henderson – Board member of Thyroid Federation International (TFI), Wouter Lox – Managing Director of the European Salt Producers’ Association (EUsalt), Dr. Stefan Gruenert – Representative of EUthyroid and Dr. Vincenzo Costigliola – President of the European Medical Association (EMA) and of the European Association for Predictive, Preventive and Personalised Medicine (EPMA). The representatives of these stakeholder organizations agreed to present the results of the Krakow declaration on Iodine and the proposed solutions to the Member States’ competent ministries as well as the European Commission and relevant international organizations.

On 18 April 2018 the Krakow Declaration on Iodine was presented at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow – Poland. At the event, European scientists from 27 Member States presented their research on IDDs carried out under the umbrella of the Horizon2020 research and innovation action EUthyroid (Project ID: 634453). The scientists who developed the research, indicated that up to 50% of all new-borns in Europe might not reach their full cognitive potential due to iodine deficiency and expressed their concerns about the deteriorating commitment of policymakers to addressing iodine deficiency in Europe. The consortium has therefore welcomed the multi-stakeholder approach promoted by WIA to call on European policymakers to ensure that effective strategies to prevent IDD are implemented across Europe. In this regard, WIA Director General Attilio Caligiani officially stated at the event: “The Krakow Declaration on Iodine represents the cornerstone of a multi-stakeholder approach to implement a harmonized and coordinated strategy to prevent and tackle IDD at a global level. The World Iodine Association (WIA) recognizes and supports the valuable work done by EUthyroid. It provides the basis to develop effective measures for improving and optimizing iodine intake in Europe in close cooperation with European and national authorities, while creating societal awareness via patient organizations, the medical community and the industry”. The Krakow Declaration on Iodine was officially endorsed by the following organizations: World Iodine Association (WIA), Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Iodine Global Network (IGN), Thyroid Federation International (TFI), EUthyroid, European Medical Association (EMA) and European Association for Predictive, Preventive and Personalised Medicine (EPMA).

On 8 March 2018, at the EUsalt General Assembly 2018, WIA Director General Attilio Caligiani introduced the Krakow Declaration on Iodine, planned on 18 April 2018 at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow – Poland. WIA is currently working on defining and implementing a coordinated advocacy strategy to tackle Iodine Deficiency Disorders at European and global level together with key stakeholders representing patient organizations, academia, medical community and the industry. These stakeholders agree on the importance of promoting a harmonised international regulatory framework for iodised salt, which is one of the main solutions presented in the Krakow Declaration on Iodine. In this context, the salt industry plays a crucial role to contribute to prevent and tackle Iodine Deficiency Disorders.

On 23 February 2018 the first stakeholder meeting to define a multi-stakeholder strategy to tackle Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) at European and global level took place in Brussels at the WIA office. The meeting was hosted by WIA and attended by Attilio Caligiani – Director General of the World Iodine Association, Rutger Schilpzand – Secretary General of the Choices International Foundation, Greg Garrett – Director Food Policy at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and Iodine Global Network (IGN) Board member, Linda Henderson – Board member of Thyroid Federation International (TFI), Wouter Lox – Managing Director of the European Salt Producers’ Association (EUsalt), Dr. Stefan Gruenert – Representative of EUthyroid and Dr. Vincenzo Costigliola – President of the European Medical Association (EMA) and of the European Association for Predictive, Preventive and Personalised Medicine (EPMA). The representatives of the stakeholder organizations agreed that a coordinated and harmonised advocacy strategy as well as the active engagement of academia, patients’ organizations, medical community and the industry are necessary to tackle IDD at European and global level. The representatives of the organizations attending the stakeholder meeting committed themselves to officially endorse the Krakow Declaration on iodine planned on 18 April 2018 at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland.

On 20 January 2018 WIA Board of Directors confirmed the appointment of Attilio Caligiani as WIA Director General. Commenting on the appointment Felipe Smith, Chairman of WIA, said “Attilio has an extensive track record of public affairs and association management experience in different industries. We are confident he is the right professional to lead WIA and to represent the interests of our industry towards international organizations and key stakeholders at global level”. Speaking about his new role, Attilio Caligiani said “I thank WIA Board of Directors for giving me this opportunity. I am delighted to be joining WIA and look forward to working with the members contributing to foster an environment that supports continued innovation and drives better outcomes for society”. Attilio Caligiani leaves his position as Strategic Senior Advisor for European Affairs at Schuttelaar & Partners after having worked more than seven years for the company.

The international conference tackled the challenge of prevention of iodine deficiency from two angles. On the scientific side, researchers consolidated their knowledge about IDD and shared the latest results attesting to the extent of this health issue. Iodine deficiency can cause disorders ranging from a disruption of the energy metabolism and brain function due to a disturbance of thyroid function, to loss of IQ and growth retardation in foetuses and young children. Prof. Pierdomenico Perata, Rector of the Sant’ Anna School of Advanced Studies, was pleased to host the event “as this represents an opportunity to increase our understanding about how variations in iodine intake affect human and animal health”. He further stated that “our goal is to be able to prevent IDD in developed and developing countries”.

On the political side, the diverse audience debated on various solutions to prevent IDD, whether conventional– i.e. salt iodisation – or more innovative – e.g. the agronomic biofortification of food and feed. Against this background, the WIA Director General, Mr. Attilio Caligiani, called for a common strategy to tackle Iodine Deficiency Disorders: “In Europe, there are at least ten countries that are considered mildly iodine deficient, among which: Italy, France, Denmark and Ireland. Universal salt iodisation is one of the several possible ways to provide iodine to the population. Agronomic biofortification of crops grown by farmers is a recent tool to increase the daily intake of essential micro-nutrients, including iodine, in a sustainable and cost-effective way. It is elemental in the development of nutrition sensitive agriculture to prevent both hunger and malnutrition globally.

The WIA conference promoted a common multi-stakeholder approach towards truly sustainable prevention of iodine deficiency in Europe. “It is our mission to raise awareness among policy-makers about the risks associated with IDD, and to ensure their support in the near future, as well as on the long term. A balanced iodine nutrition needs to be part of the future public health strategy” concluded Mr. Caligiani.

Abstracts of the oral presentations are now available on the WIA website

Save the date: The first WIA conference on Food Systems and Health will be held in Pisa, Italy 15-17 November 2017.

This international conference aims to bring together scientists and other stakeholders working on various aspects of iodine in food systems, to increase understanding on how variations in the earth’s supply of iodine affect human and animal health. The Scientific Steering Committee, chaired by Margaret Rayman engaged key-note speakers on iodine in the environment, food, health and industrial uses to present the state of iodine research in their fields and identify data gaps and opportunities.

Seminar by WIA chairman Felipe Smith

… the Scientific Advisory Board of WIA was officially established.The Scientific Advisory Board for Iodine in Nutrition (SAB) is initiated by the Technical Committee in function of the mission of WIA to help to prevent Iodine Deficiency Disorders globally by support of initiatives to ensure optimal iodine intake. The SAB is composed of independent academic experts studying iodine in different disciplines. An important topic at the SAB meeting was the formation of a scientific steering committee to compose the program for the first WIA international conference: "Iodine in Food Systems and Health", 15-17 November 2017 in Pisa, Italy. This international conference aims to provide an overview of current research in iodine. Key-note speakers known for their work on iodine in food, agriculture, environment and health will provide an overview and identify datagaps and opportunities.

Seminar by WIA chairman Felipe Smith

An introduction presentation will be made in a free seminar by WIA chairman Felipe Smith at the Exhibitor Showcase theatre of CPhI Worlwide in Hall 12 stand F40 on October 14th from 16h00 – 16h25.
 
WIA organizes an information meeting in Madrid during the pharmaceutical event of CPhl Worldwide where it will also present its brand new website: www.worldiodineassociation.com. WIA is working to establish a scientific advisory board to provide independent advice and review quality and relevance of science-based information and expert commentaries on the website, and assist in the organisation of scientific meetings.
 
Membership is open to partners in the private sector and non-profit organizations with an interest to promote the WIA’s mission. WIA welcomes Effective and Associated members.

CPhI in Madrid

… the CPhI in Madrid, the WIA will organise a meeting to welcome candidate members to our association. A meeting of the WIA board of directors will also be held that afternoon. The exact time and place will be published on the website. If you are interested to become a member or receive more information please enter your details in the contact form under the header “become a member”.

NutrEvent in Lille

… was present at the NutrEvent in Lille.
NutrEvent brings together stakeholders in science, industry and regulatory affairs around a single theme: catalyzing and accelerating business and R&D projects in Food, Nutrition & Health and sourcing today’s innovative products and technologies. In several sessions and during the networking occasions, WIA managed to raise attention for the importance of an optimal intake of iodine for human health, and agronomic biofortification with iodine as a novel development. The development of food technology is moving to a personalized approach. This enables the consumer to have access to nutrition tailored to individual needs. This may be of interest for the management of iodine deficiency in populations. Iodine deficiency is typically subject to individual variation in dietary habits. Part of the population may be in need of extra iodine, whilst the consumption of iodine of another part of the population is still sufficient to meet their daily recommended intake.