Clearing up confusion over iodine in milk | Letters

Cow’s milk is not a natural source of iodine. It is fortified, at the cow, notes Dale Vince of the Green Britain Foundation

You report that scientists say moving even partly from dairy products to vegan alternatives could lead to deficiencies in iodine and other micronutrients if the substitutes are not fortified (Swapping from dairy to plant-based milk, cheese and yoghurt ‘could lead to micronutrient deficiencies’, 4 November).

To be clear, cow’s milk is not a natural source of iodine. It is fortified, at the cow. As the paper published in the Lancet Planetary Health explains, iodine is in milk because it is added to cattle feed. The vitamin B12 is there because cobalt is added to the feed so the cow’s gut bacteria can make it. Britain has been doing this for decades. If fortification is the answer, and the paper’s authors say it is, then fortify plant milk. It’s better for us and the planet than cow’s milk.

Continue reading...