Industry urged to move on reducing salt in foods
industry has done little to tackle the problem of salt in our diets
- in some cases, levels are hardly any lower than they were in the
70's, despite repeated promises from manufacturers.
"The food industry must take greater responsibility for public health and reduce salt in processed food," said Kath Dalmeny, research officer at the UK Food Commission this week. Dalmeny echoed the findings of a new survey by the Food Commission that claims the food industry has done little to tackle the problem of salt in our diets - claims heartily rejected by the UK Food and Drink Federation (FDF) as being "out of date, out of touch and based on self-selecting surveys".
The survey compared 1978 salt levels of four categories of processed foods - white bread, crisps, baked beans and canned tomato soup - with the salt level found in equivalent products available in January 2003.
According to the findings, crisps purchased in 2003 showed that the salt content had almost doubled since 1978, from an average of 540mg per 100g to 1050mg per 100g. Average salt levels had also risen in canned baked beans, from 480mg per 100g to 490mg per 100g. In addition, the Food Commission claims, "average salt levels for canned tomato soup and white bread showed very little improvement, despite industry and government claims that salt has been reduced in these processed foods".
Martin Paterson, FDF deputy director general, responding to the claims, said:"UK bread manufacturers have for example reduced salt across the product range by a quarter since the 1980s which has included reductions confirmed in a recent FSA survey of breads."
Concerns about the level of salt in children's processed food - a highly volatile issue - led to the second phase of the survey that compared salt levels in popular children's foods with new recommendations for maximum salt intake for one to six-year-old children.
According to the Commission, the survey revealed that many foods aimed at children, including Burger King children's meals, Dairylea Lunchables and Teletubbies canned pasta, would take a six-year-old child over the recommended daily maximum intake with just one serving.
"The government has acknowledged that processed foods are the main source of salt in most people's diets," said Kath Dalmeny. "Most people, including children, eat about twice as much salt as the recommended maximum level. However, it is very hard for people to cut back on salt because it is hidden in everyday products such as bread, canned soup and baked beans."
In recent years, health practitioners, government and consumer bodies have emphasised the importance of reducing the salt intake in our diets. The principal reason being that eating high levels of salt is linked to high blood pressure - the main cause of strokes and a major factor in heart attacks.
For a large chunk of the population processed food plays a significant role in daily eating patterns. As this is clearly the case, the industry must carry on its shoulders a certain amount of the responsibility to reduce salt in foods. A responsibility the FDF claims it bears: "The FDF is currently working with the Food Standards Agency to identify more products where reductions in salt have been achieved, and might be further reduced," said Martin Paterson.
