Consumers in Wales say no to too much salt

Monday 10 October 2005

But less than two in five adults in Wales are cutting back

Ref: WA 48/05CK

New research published today shows that 22 million people in Britain are now trying to cut down the amount of salt they eat – an increase of nearly six million since September 2004.(1)

Most people who are cutting back on salt have stopped adding salt to their food at the table or when cooking and sales of household salt have dropped by 10% in a year.(2)

But two out of three people do not know that they should be eating no more than 6g of salt a day, and only a third of adults are looking at labels for the salt content. Three quarters of our daily salt intake comes from processed foods and with men eating an average of 11g of salt a day and women an average of 8g a day, we are all eating too much salt.(3)

In Wales, less than two in five adults are cutting down on salt. This is less than the national average and significantly less than in the West Midlands, where more than half of all adults are cutting back on salt. In addition, nearly three-quarters of adults in Wales do not look at food labels to check the salt content and 38% do not check food labels at all.

Eating too much salt is a significant risk factor in developing high blood pressure, which causes or contributes to more than 170,000 deaths a year in England alone.(4) The cost to the NHS of prescriptions for reducing high blood pressure is around
840m a year.(5) Studies show that reducing salt in the diet can lower blood pressure within four weeks.(6)

The FSA today (Monday 10 October) launched the next stage of a campaign to encourage consumers to reduce their salt intake by checking food labels and eating no more than 6g of salt a day.

Deirdre Hutton, Chair of the Food Standards Agency, said: 'It's a great first step that so many people now know that too much salt is bad for them and are cutting down on the amount they add to food. But if we all check food labels and choose the products containing the least salt, it will help us ensure that we all eat no more than 6g a day.

'In the past year more food companies have started to reduce the amount of salt in processed foods. But we need more of them to do the same if we are to reach our goal of reducing the UK's salt consumption to 6g by 2010.

'The Agency, working with industry and consumers, can make a real impact on people's health.'

Peter Hollins, Director General of the British Heart Foundation, said: 'We are delighted to support the Food Standards Agency's campaign, which highlights the dangers of eating too much salt. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and one most people can tackle by simply cutting down the salt in their diet. We want it to be made easier for the consumer to be aware of the salt levels in food so they are empowered to protect their heart health by eating safe amounts.'

Gavin Neath, Chairman, Unilever UK said: 'Unilever is fully supportive of the FSA's initiative on salt. Unilever, along with other food companies, has been working closely and effectively with the Agency over the past three years to reduce salt levels gradually right across our product range. 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.'

Agency tracking research shows that in Wales:

• 39% of adults are trying to cut down their salt intake �– one of the lowest figures of all the regions across Britain
• 40% of those who are trying to cut down on salt do so by not adding salt to food during cooking – this compares with 77% in the east of England
• only 1% of adults in Wales know how much salt they should be eating each day (6g) – more than three-quarters (78%) do not know and the remainder answered incorrectly
• 71% of adults in Wales do not look at food labels to check the salt content and 38% do not look check food labels at all
• of the 28% that do check the label for salt, one in six say that the salt content of the food would not affect their decision to purchase the product
• 22% of adults eat ready meals, which tend to be particularly high in salt, at least once a week

The Agency launched a television and poster advertising campaign today using animated ready meals to illustrate to consumers that by comparing labels and choosing products with the lower salt content, they can control how much salt they eat with the aim of eating no more than 6g per day.

Since late 2003 the Agency has been working with retailers and manufacturers to reduce the amount of salt in processed foods, and has received more than 50 commitments from organisations to reduce salt in a variety of food. In August 2005 the Agency launched a consultation regarding setting targets for reducing salt in key food categories.