Food Standards Agency Salt – Is your Food Full of it?
The Salt - Is Your Food Full of It? Campaign is the third phase of the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) campaign to reduce the amount of salt that people eat.
Previous phases of the FSA’s salt campaign in 2005 and 2006 successfully raised awareness of the risk of too much salt in the diet. Phase 3 will build on this and aims to drive real behaviour change among consumers.
Too much salt can increase blood pressure, which can increase the chance of developing heart disease and having a stroke. More than 50,000 deaths from stroke in the UK each year are attributable to high blood pressure, which is the most modifiable risk factor for stroke.
Currently the average daily intake of salt by adults in the UK is 9 grams. The FSA aim to reduce the amount of salt consumed by adults to less than 6 grams per day (approximately 1 level teaspoon). Resources provided by the campaign include a salt information leaflet.
To find out more about the campaign please click on www.salt.gov.uk.
The FSA is launching the latest stage of its public awareness campaign on salt this autumn to encourage consumers to be more aware of the different levels of salt in different products, and to encourage them to check food labels and choose lower salt options where possible.
A recent study of UK salt intakes, in 2008, showed that even though average salt intakes have fallen from 9.5g in 2000/01 to 8.6g per day, we are still eating too much salt. Adults should aim to have no more than 6g per day, and children under 11 should have even less than this. If we exceed the recommended intake it could lead to high blood pressure, and this could triple the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The campaign will focus on popular family foods such as bread, pasta sauce, breakfast cereal, ketchup and soup. Many people are unaware that around 75% of the salt we eat comes from everyday foods such as these, so it is vital that we all get in to the habit of checking labels and choosing the lower salt option.
The major TV and media campaign will run throughout October. For more information and simple tips on how to reduce the amount of salt you eat visit www.eatwell.gov.uk/salt.
To accompany the campaign owners of web-enabled phones who want to check their shopping’s salt content can access a handy application from www.food.gov.uk/saltapp that has been created for the salt campaign.
Last updated:
27/10/2009
