A lack of iodine might be to blame for the lacklustre performance of Australia's school students, and food manufacturers could have a hand to play.
According to SMH, international test results show that Australia is placed at 27th in the world for year four reading, 22nd in science and 18th in maths.
An internationally recognised professor of medicine at the University of Sydney and expert on iodine deficiency, Cres Eastman, has said diets in top performing countries like Singapore, Korea and Hong Kong are rich in iodine thanks to salt iodisation and a diet rich in fish and seaweed.
SMH adds, "In contrast, he says a national survey of schoolchildren in 2003-04 has confirmed the re-emergence of iodine deficiency in Australia after an absence of almost half a century."
Food manufacturers could be playing a role in this deficiency, with the dairy industry ceasing to use iodine to sterilise milk bottles and the Australian food industry only making limited use of iodised salt in its manufacturing processes.
Despite regulations that all bread (excluding organic options) is required to contain iodised salt, consumers are reluctant to buy iodised salt for home use.
Iodine is a micronutrient essential for normal thyroid function and iodine deficiency is the world’s leading cause of preventable intellectual disability or mental retardation in children. For more information on iodine, click here.