Salt reduction plans underway

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published revised voluntary salt reduction targets for the food industry to meet by 2012.

More challenging targets for 2012 have been set for 80 categories of foods, to ensure the momentum in reducing salt levels is maintained by food retailers and manufacturers.

Continued, regular dialogue and close partnership working with industry will help to identify any difficulties encountered as well as provide opportunities to report back on progress.

Rosemary Hignett, head of nutrition at the FSA, said: "The UK is leading the way in Europe and beyond in salt reduction. The reductions which have already been achieved in the UK are already saving lives.

"To continue to make progress we have set 2012 targets at levels that will make a further real impact on consumers' intakes, while taking into account technical and safety issues associated with taking salt out of food."

To ensure people have all the information they need to look after their own and their family's health, there will be further public awareness activity on salt in autumn 2009. The Agency will continue to monitor salt intakes, public awareness, and the levels of salt in food on a biennial basis.

The next review of industry progress towards meeting the targets will begin in 2010.

The salt campaign was launched in September 2004 as part of the Agency's strategy to reduce population average salt intakes to 6g.

The latest evidence estimates that the UK's average daily salt consumption stands at 8.6g. This represents an overall drop of 0.9g since 2000/1.

Words: Clare Riley

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