The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has urged the food industry to continue its salt reduction work, as it said salt content still varied widely across different products.
“We’ve been working closely with food manufacturers and retailers to encourage them to use less salt in their foods, and are pleased with the progress that is being made,” said Rosemary Hignett, head of nutrition at the FSA. “But there is still a wide variation of salt levels in different brands, which it is why it is so important that people check the labels.”
Hignett was speaking as the FSA launched the latest phase of its salt awareness campaign, coinciding with the release of consumer research into attitudes to salt in food and drink. More than 2,000 people were polled across the UK. Results showed that 77% were unaware that bread and breakfast cereals were among the daily foods contributing most to salt in the diet.
In addition, more than 40% of people believed supermarket ‘value’ ranges were higher in salt than branded equivalents, although that was not necessarily the case, the FSA said.
The top three products singled out by consumers as containing the most salt were crisps and snacks, mentioned by 73% of respondents; ready meals, referred to by 63%; and meat products - mentioned by 36%. However, the FSA claimed that only meat products were in the top three categories.
A quarter of people responding to the survey said they would change from their usual brand if they knew a lower salt equivalent was available.
“Salt intakes are coming down, but if we are to get closer to meeting our target of reducing intakes to a maximum of 6g a day for adults, and lower levels for children, people need to become more aware of foods which contribute the most,” said Hignett.
“We are not suggesting people stop eating these foods. In fact, we encourage people to eat bread and breakfast cereals, as they are an important part of a healthy diet. But we are saying take a look at the labels to find those that are lower in salt. This could be a supermarket own-label product, and maybe one from the ‘value’ range.”
The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) responded to the FSA by claiming that the food industry was blazing a trail in salt reduction.
“Food companies have invested heavily over many years to change the recipes of some of Britain’s biggest and best-loved brands so they are lower in salt - without making any compromises on taste, quality or safety,” said FDF director of communications, Julian Hunt.
“By deploying its world-class research capabilities in this way, the UK industry is now widely acknowledged to be leading the way on reformulation.”