The Ministry of Trade & Regional Integration has banned products from SVS salt manufacturing plc, an Ethio-Turkish joint venture, and issued a consumer safety warning.
A routine inspection found SVS iodized salt, produced by the largest privately held salt processor in Ethiopia, failed to meet national quality standards.
In a statement, the Ministry said testing revealed the salt "does not meet the standards of the country." As a precautionary measure, the ban prohibits any SVS salt from distribution until further notice.
Regional authorities and city administration bureaus have been notified to enforce the ban and ensure the substandard product does not reach consumers.
The Ministry expressed concern that continued use of the non-compliant salt could potentially cause health issues.
Consumers are advised not to purchase or consume any salt bearing the SVS brand name until the company resolves the quality control issues. This is a major setback for the leading salt processor, which now faces a crisis regarding the safety of its products in the market.
SVS, jointly owned by Ethiopian and Turkish investors, joined the market in 2019. At the time when it went operational, it was said to have a capacity of producing 450 thousand quintals of iodized salt per month. The plant was built with a cost of $14.7 million.
