Salt and potassium are combined to produce iodised salt, used when iodine is lacking in diet. It s absence causes goitre, the swelling of the thyroid gland.
Livestock as well as humans need salt, and this provided in the form of solid blocks, known as 'salt-licks'.
Salt is also crucial to the food industry. It is used in meatpacking sausage-making and fish-curing both for seasoning and as a preservative. It is also used in the curing and preserving of hides and in the form of brine of brine for refrigeration purposes.