Date Published: 28 January 2008

safefood research shows more consumers checking salt content on food labels (safefood, Eire)

safefood, the Food Safety Promotion Board - in the Irish language, An Bord um Chur Chun Cinn Sabháilteachta Bia - is an implementation body. Food safety policies are underpinned by comprehensive access to current, accurate, high quality scientific information, and to adequate means for the analysis and interpretation of such data.

To mark National Salt Awareness Week (January 28th to February 3rd), safefood is reminding parents of ways to reduce the whole family’s salt intake as new research reveals more consumers are looking for salt content on food labels and salt is ranked number two on consumers list of healthy eating concerns.

• The Recommended Daily Salt intake is 4 grams for physiological requirements
• The average salt intake for adults is estimated at 10g per day, more than double the Recommended Daily Allowance of 4g of salt for adults, per day
• 6 grams is the amount recommended by the FSAI as an achievable target.
• The Recommended Daily Salt intake for children is:
  * 2 grams for children aged 1 to 3
  * 3 grams for children aged 4 to 6
  * 5 grams for children aged 7 - 10

Recent research conducted by safefood shows that 40% of consumers now look for salt content when looking at food labels, compared with just 29% in 2004 and that 77% of Irish adults are concerned about healthy eating.

Commenting, Dr. Cliodhna Foley Nolan, Director of Human Health and Nutrition, safefood said “ As most of the salt we consume is from processed and snack foods, it is encouraging that more consumers are looking for salt content when reading food labels and that more are concerned about healthy eating. This shows that our message is getting through to consumers and that there is increased awareness of the importance of healthy eating and the role that salt plays in diet, particularly for children”, she continued.

“ We know that we have become accustomed to higher levels of salt in our diet and that it may take a little time, particularly for children to get used to lower levels of salt. By making small dietary changes such as cutting down on processed foods and getting children to eat more fruit and vegetables can help with cutting down on salt and could make a big difference in the long run”, added Dr. Foley-Nolan.

There is clear evidence that a child’s diet high in salt can affect the development of diseases including high blood pressure, osteoporosis, respiratory illness, stomach cancer and obesity. Research has shown that reducing children’s salt intake by half results in falls in blood pressure, which in turn could lead to major reductions in the risk of developing stroke, heart attacks and heart failure later in life.

National Salt Awareness Week 2008 will focus on Salt and Children. The week will publicise that children should eat less salt than adults, highlight where the salt comes from in children's diets and provide practical information to parents and carers on how to reduce the level of salt their children eat.

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