Salt in Food May Be Decreasing But Irish Consumers Still Eat Too Much

04 Nov 2016 --- The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has reviewed its salt monitoring program, revealing “significant reductions” in salt content across a wealth of products including processed meats like rashers, cooked ham and sausages.

But the average Irish consumer still eats too much salt, according to Dr Wayne Anderson, FSAI director of food science and standards, who says the average intake still exceeds the World Health Organization’s recommended intake by five grams per day. 

The FSAI publication of its latest salt review follows a new study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics which says American children are consuming sodium levels that far exceed the daily recommended limit and such high sodium intake from a variety of foods makes kids vulnerable to heart disease later in life because of the taste preferences they form carrying over into adulthood. 

The salt monitoring program has been in place since 2003 and last year examined 530 samples of processed foods across four food categories; processed meats, breads, breakfast cereals and spreadable fats. 

“While levels of salt have decreased in processed foods, the average dietary salt intakes in Irish adults continue to exceed the recommended daily intake of 5g salt per day. The estimated average daily salt intake in Irish adults is currently 11.1g salt per/day in men and 8.5g salt per/day in women. We would ask consumers to read product labels for information on salt content and reduce the amount of salt they add themselves in cooking and at the table,” says Dr. Anderson. 

These include: Rashers -27 percent, cooked ham -15 percent, sausage products -11 percent. In the bread category, white bread -17 percent, wholemeal bread -25 percent, wholegrain bread -29 percent and specialty products -42 percent. In breakfast cereals; cornflake based -63 percent, rice based -48 percent and bran based 48-percent and multigrain cereal -38 percent. In spreadable fat; blended spread -29 percent, all blends and blended spread -27 percent. 

“Salt plays an important role in the diet, but people in Ireland are simply eating too much of it and this increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. The addition of salt at the table or in cooking by consumers can represent up to 20 percent-30 percent of a person’s total salt intake. The FSAI is calling on consumers to read product labels, select low salt or salt free options when choosing products and to cut back on the high levels of salt added during cooking and at the table.”

Dr Anderson also calls on the industry to continue reformulation to further reduce salt. 

“Overall we are satisfied with the latest salt reductions and this outlines Irish manufacturers’ commitment and positive contribution being made to tackle health issues. Going into the future, the industry needs to pursue further research and development to achieve further reductions where possible”, he adds.