What these products are

Salt Partners (2021) puts vacuum salt usually at 99.8–99.98% NaCl, with calcium and magnesium in the range of 1–10 ppm; sulphate is typically its main impurity, at up to 300–1,000 ppm as sodium sulphate when the source brine is high in sulphate. Washed solar salt from India typically reaches 99.0–99.4%.

Meeting India’s standard is not meeting the export standard

This is the most important section of this page.

The international reference for food salt is the Codex Standard for Food Grade Salt, CXS 150-1985 (revised 1997, amended 1999 and 2001). India’s domestic standards are set by FSSAI. They are not the same, and an Indian exporter who says “FSSAI approved” has not told you whether the salt meets Codex or your national rules.

Codex: CXS 150-1985 as amended. FSSAI: as published in summaries of Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations clause 2.9.30; verify against the current official text before relying on any single figure.

“Triple refined” is not a specification

“Triple refined” is a sales description, not a defined grade. No Codex, FSSAI or BIS standard defines it, and two suppliers using the phrase may mean entirely different processes. The same goes for “free flow”, “super fine” and “premium”. Ask instead for the numbers that the phrase is meant to promise: NaCl on a dry basis, moisture, insolubles, iodine and its compound, anti-caking agent and its level, contaminants, particle size and whiteness. If a supplier cannot attach numbers to “triple refined”, the phrase means nothing.

Iodine: set by your market, measured at your door

Codex leaves iodine levels to national health authorities. WHO guidance recommends 20–40 mg of iodine per kilogram of salt where salt intake is around 10 g per day, with adjustment for local intake. Your country’s rules decide the figure you must meet.

Two practical points matter more than the headline number:

• Specify iodine at destination, not only at loading. Iodine is lost in storage, especially in heat and humidity. India’s own rule recognises this by requiring 30 ppm at manufacture but only 15 ppm at retail. An export cargo spends weeks at sea and months on shelves; agree the level that must be present when the salt reaches your warehouse, and allow for the loss.
• Specify the compound. Potassium iodate is more stable than potassium iodide in hot, humid conditions and impure salt, which is why many tropical programmes use iodate. Your national rules may prescribe one.

Free flow and anti-caking agents

Free-flowing salt is dry salt, usually with an anti-caking agent. Codex permits a defined list, including calcium carbonate, silicon dioxide, magnesium carbonate, tricalcium phosphate (up to 20 g/kg) and ferrocyanides (up to 10 mg/kg as Fe(CN)₆). Some markets restrict particular agents, and some retailers want “no additives” salt for clean labels. Tell us which agents your market allows and which your customers will accept. The moisture figure matters too: a salt carrying several per cent moisture will not stay free-flowing in a humid market, whatever agent it contains.

PDV salt for food processing

Food manufacturers buy PDV salt for its purity, small and uniform crystal size and consistent dissolution: it disperses evenly in doughs, brines and seasoning blends and gives predictable salting. Three points to watch:

• Sulphate. Vacuum salt’s main impurity is usually sulphate, and it varies with the source brine. Specify a maximum if your process is sensitive.
• Particle size distribution. Specify the sieve analysis, not just “fine”. Topping salt, brining salt and blending salt need different distributions.
• PDV is not pharmaceutical grade. Salt for pharmaceutical use must meet a pharmacopoeia monograph and be made under pharmaceutical GMP. High-purity PDV is a good starting material, but it is not a substitute for that certification.

Specification: what should be in the contract

Where the buyers are

Salt trade statistics (HS 2501) do not separate refined food salt from industrial salt, so we do not quote a market share for these products. India’s main salt markets by value in 2023 included Nepal (3.39%) and Bangladesh (4.82%), according to UN Comtrade data reported by TrendEconomy, and refined iodized salt is a regular import for many markets in East and Southern Africa, the Gulf and the Indian Ocean islands. That is why this guide is published in English, Arabic, French, Portuguese and Swahili: for the Gulf and Arabic-speaking Africa, for francophone West and Central Africa, for Mozambique and Angola, and for the East African markets.

Packing: private labelling from 1 kg to 50 kg, and bulk shipments

RNG Agro Exports offers private labelling from 1 kg to 50 kg pack sizes, and we also handle bulk shipments. For iodized salt, packaging is not only presentation: a good moisture barrier is what keeps the iodine in the salt until it is eaten.

Working with RNG Agro Exports

We are based in Rajkot, Gujarat, in the state that makes about 85% of India’s salt, and we supply refined iodized salt and PDV salt from qualified producers there. We hold an FSSAI licence and ISO 22000:2018 certification, but we do not ask you to rely on them for your market. We write your country’s numbers into the contract, test each lot against them, and agree the iodine level that must be present on arrival. We print your brand, in your language, on packaging chosen to keep the iodine in.

Frequently asked questions

Does salt that meets India’s FSSAI standard meet Codex?

Not necessarily. The Codex Standard for Food Grade Salt, CXS 150-1985, requires at least 97% sodium chloride on a dry basis, exclusive of additives, and sets contaminant limits of 0.5 mg/kg arsenic, 2 mg/kg copper, 2 mg/kg lead, 0.5 mg/kg cadmium and 0.1 mg/kg mercury. India’s iodised salt standard, as published, requires at least 96.0% sodium chloride on a dry basis (97.0% if an anti-caking agent is used) and allows up to 6.0% moisture and 1.0% water-insoluble matter. A salt at 96.5% NaCl therefore meets India’s rule and fails the Codex minimum. Some national rules are also tighter than Codex, for example on lead. Importers should write their own market’s numbers into the contract and ask for a certificate of analysis against them for every lot.

What does “triple refined” mean?

Nothing that can be enforced. “Triple refined” is a sales description, not a grade defined by Codex, FSSAI or BIS, and two suppliers using it may mean different processes. The same is true of “free flow”, “super fine” and “premium”. What matters is the set of numbers the phrase is meant to promise: sodium chloride on a dry basis, moisture, insolubles, iodine level and compound, anti-caking agent and level, contaminants, particle size and whiteness. Ask for those numbers and for a certificate of analysis that reports them. If a supplier cannot put numbers to “triple refined”, treat the phrase as decoration rather than specification.

How much iodine should exported iodized salt contain?

The amount your country’s rules require, measured at your door rather than at the factory. Codex leaves iodine levels to national health authorities, and WHO guidance recommends 20–40 mg of iodine per kilogram of salt where salt intake is around 10 g per day, adjusted for local intake. Iodine is lost during storage, especially in heat and humidity; India’s own rule requires 30 ppm at manufacture but only 15 ppm at retail for that reason. For an export cargo, agree the level that must be present on arrival, specify potassium iodate where the climate is hot and humid because it is more stable than iodide, and choose packaging with a good moisture barrier.

What is PDV salt and is it pharmaceutical grade?

PDV, or pure dried vacuum salt, is made by evaporating purified brine in vacuum pans, which produces small, uniform and very pure crystals, usually 99.8–99.98% sodium chloride with calcium and magnesium of about 1–10 ppm, according to Salt Partners. Its main impurity is usually sulphate, which varies with the source brine. Food manufacturers use it for consistent dissolution and even salting in bakery, dairy, meat and seasoning applications. It is not automatically pharmaceutical grade: pharmaceutical salt must meet a pharmacopoeia monograph and be produced under pharmaceutical good manufacturing practice. PDV is a good starting material, but buyers who need pharmaceutical certification must specify it separately.

Do you offer private labelling and bulk shipments for iodized and PDV salt?

Yes. RNG Agro Exports offers private labelling from 1 kg to 50 kg pack sizes and also handles bulk shipments. Typical formats are 1 kg consumer pouches in laminated or multilayer film for retail brands, 2 kg to 5 kg family and food-service packs, 10 kg to 25 kg bags for restaurants and bakeries, 50 kg bags for food manufacturers, repackers and programme supply, big bags of about one tonne for large processors, and refined or PDV salt in bulk containers for repackers, quoted on enquiry. For iodized salt the moisture barrier of the pack is what protects the iodine, so we specify packaging together with the iodine level. Tell us your destination, brand, pack sizes and annual quantity.

• Not necessarily. The Codex Standard for Food Grade Salt, CXS 150-1985, requires at least 97% sodium chloride on a dry basis, exclusive of additives, and sets contaminant limits of 0.5 mg/kg arsenic, 2 mg/kg copper, 2 mg/kg lead, 0.5 mg/kg cadmium and 0.1 mg/kg mercury. India’s iodised salt standard, as published, requires at least 96.0% sodium chloride on a dry basis (97.0% if an anti-caking agent is used) and allows up to 6.0% moisture and 1.0% water-insoluble matter. A salt at 96.5% NaCl therefore meets India’s rule and fails the Codex minimum. Some national rules are also tighter than Codex, for example on lead. Importers should write their own market’s numbers into the contract and ask for a certificate of analysis against them for every lot.
• Nothing that can be enforced. “Triple refined” is a sales description, not a grade defined by Codex, FSSAI or BIS, and two suppliers using it may mean different processes. The same is true of “free flow”, “super fine” and “premium”. What matters is the set of numbers the phrase is meant to promise: sodium chloride on a dry basis, moisture, insolubles, iodine level and compound, anti-caking agent and level, contaminants, particle size and whiteness. Ask for those numbers and for a certificate of analysis that reports them. If a supplier cannot put numbers to “triple refined”, treat the phrase as decoration rather than specification.
• The amount your country’s rules require, measured at your door rather than at the factory. Codex leaves iodine levels to national health authorities, and WHO guidance recommends 20–40 mg of iodine per kilogram of salt where salt intake is around 10 g per day, adjusted for local intake. Iodine is lost during storage, especially in heat and humidity; India’s own rule requires 30 ppm at manufacture but only 15 ppm at retail for that reason. For an export cargo, agree the level that must be present on arrival, specify potassium iodate where the climate is hot and humid because it is more stable than iodide, and choose packaging with a good moisture barrier.
• PDV, or pure dried vacuum salt, is made by evaporating purified brine in vacuum pans, which produces small, uniform and very pure crystals, usually 99.8–99.98% sodium chloride with calcium and magnesium of about 1–10 ppm, according to Salt Partners. Its main impurity is usually sulphate, which varies with the source brine. Food manufacturers use it for consistent dissolution and even salting in bakery, dairy, meat and seasoning applications. It is not automatically pharmaceutical grade: pharmaceutical salt must meet a pharmacopoeia monograph and be produced under pharmaceutical good manufacturing practice. PDV is a good starting material, but buyers who need pharmaceutical certification must specify it separately.

What this means for an importer. A salt at 96.5% NaCl with 5% moisture fully meets India’s iodised salt standard and fails the Codex minimum. Iodine set for Indian consumers may be wrong for yours. And some national contaminant rules are tighter than Codex: a published food-salt specification for Australia and New Zealand, for example, lists lead at 1.0 mg/kg, against Codex’s 2 mg/kg. So write your own market’s numbers into the contract, ask for a certificate of analysis against those numbers for each lot, and treat “FSSAI approved” as a licence to trade in India, not as evidence of compliance in your country.