The UK’s Food Standards Agency is launching a major public health campaign this week aimed at reducing high salt consumption in the UK.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Eating too much salt is a significant risk factor in developing high blood pressure, which is a cause or contributing factor in 170,000 deaths a year in England alone.
According to the FSA, at least 26 million people every day eat more than the recommended daily limit of 6g of salt. Men are eating the most with a daily average of 11.0g of salt while women consume an average of 8.1g a day.
“High blood pressure really is the “silent killer” as those living with it are three times more likely to develop heart disease and stroke, and twice as likely to die from these diseases as those with normal levels,” said Food Standards Agency chairman Sir John Krebs.
“The human cost in terms of illness and death and the costs to the NHS are very high. Cutting down on salt can significantly reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure,” he added.
The FSA said it wants to encourage everyone to reduce the salt they eat by cutting back on adding salt to food at home and when eating out, as well as looking at what’s on the labels of processed foods.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataThe FSA said it also believes that further reductions of salt in processed foods and better labelling of salt on food products is required if people are to make changes to their own diet and reduce their salt intake.
“Many in the food industry have introduced salt reduction programmes and, to their credit, many major retailers and manufacturers now label products with the salt content,” Krebs said.
“The food industry is about two-thirds of the way to reaching our target of a 1g reduction in processed foods by the end of 2005. However, to reach the ambitious target of 6g per day by 2010 will require further action by both consumers and industry if we are to reduce the human and health costs of eating too much salt,” he added.
Unilever UK chairman Gavin Neath said the company supports the FSA’s initiative on salt.
“Unilever, along with other food companies, has been working closely and effectively with the agency over the past 18 months to reduce gradually salt levels right across our product range,” Neath said.
“We intend to continue doing this into the future in an effort to make a positive contribution to the diet and health of the nation,” he added.
