Average Daily Salt Intake Drops

Business & Finance - Industry

Thursday, 03 November 2011 15:34

Written by Denise Lyons

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has reported that since the establishment of its Salt Reduction Programme (SRP) with the food industry the average daily intake by adults has reduced by 1.1g per day.

When salt levels surveyed in the 2011 National Adult Nutrition (NANS) Survey are compared to a similar survey in 2001, the mean daily salt intake in adults from food has decreased from 8.1g/day to 7g/day (not including salt added during cooking or at the table).

However, the FSAI stated that the average daily salt intake by Irish adults, particularly men still remained high and significant measures must be taken to reduce the average daily salt intake to the target of 6 grams (one teaspoon). It called on consumers to select low salt or salt free options when choosing products and to cut back on the discretionary salt added during cooking and at the table.

According to Dr Wayne Anderson, Director of Food Science and Standards, FSAI, up to 25-30% of total salt intake is discretionary and comes from consumers adding salt to their food. “The 1.1gram reduction we are reporting today is a substantial achievement and is the result of the food industry reformulating their products to reduce salt content. Every gram of salt we can remove from the diet reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and saves lives. However, the efforts by industry have to be matched by each of us individually cutting back on the amount of salt we add to our food.”

The main food sources contributing to salt levels continues to be meats, especially cured and processed products and bread and rolls, together accounting for over half of total salt intake of the Irish population. However, it is also clear that there has been a reduction in the contribution of these product categories and others to the salt intake from food reflecting the industry’s ongoing commitment to the salt reduction programme.

The FSAI stated its annual product monitoring programme had verified industry commitments to reduce salt in food products and that significant success in reducing salt levels in a number of product categories had been achieved since 2003 under the FSAI salt reduction programme including:

• White bread reduced by up to 18%
• Wholemeal bread reduced by up to 20%
• Canned and dried soups reduced by up to 25%
• Cooking sauces such as curry sauces by up to 30%
• Potato crisps by up to 19%
• Breakfast cereals such rice and cornflake based products by 45% and 57% respectively.

However, the FSAI expressed its disappointment that the number of organisations currently participating in the salt reduction programme has fallen from 60 to 54 since 2009.

“The challenging economic climate poses difficulties for the salt reduction programme. As food businesses continue to make cutbacks to survive priorities for some organisations have shifted, with voluntary salt reduction unfortunately becoming a lower priority. In addition, there are some products where the industry contend it isn’t feasible to reduce salt levels any further due to technological and safety barriers that would compromise the safety and taste of their food products.”