The annual World Salt Awareness Week campaign helps raise public awareness of the damaging effect of too much salt to our health. The international campaign has been running for 11 years, each year with a different theme. This year it runs from 4 to 11 March.
The annual campaign is a chance to shine a light on the hidden salt in our favourite food products and encouraging those who don’t want their food, and their children’s food, laden with unnecessary salt to take action. You are also encouraged to add less salt to your food while cooking or when at the table.
Each year more than 15 countries get involved in the campaign.
It’s time for ACTION on salt
For too long we’ve seen too little ACTION on salt. We know that no country is on track to achieve a 30% reduction in salt intake by 2025 and no country has reached the World Health Organisation’s recommended intake of less than 5g per day. We also know that too much salt in our diet raises blood pressure, which puts us at increased risk of stroke and heart disease. Stroke and heart disease are two of the biggest causes of death and disability worldwide. The UK Department of Health estimates that for every 1g reduction in daily salt intake, 7,000 deaths could be prevented and 4,000 of those deaths would occur before the age of 70.
In some countries the main source of salt is salt added by the individual but this doesn’t just come from the salt shaker: salty sauces such as soy sauce are big contributors of salt to diets worldwide. In many countries though, up to 80% of the salt we eat comes from salt already present in processed, packaged food – such as bread, breakfast cereal or ready meals – or salt in restaurant food, cafeteria food and other eateries. While we may know that salt is bad for our health, if the salt is already in our food we need help to #EatLessSalt!
It is unacceptable that populations worldwide are burdened with unnecessary deaths. It is unacceptable that the next generation face a future of preventable health conditions. It is unacceptable that a simple solution has not been actioned by policy makers. It’s time for ACTION.
• Governments must prioritise the health of their nations and commit to stronger action on salt.
• The food industry must commit to further salt reduction work, with guidance from policy makers.
• Health charities and non-governmental organisations must take ACTION – keep talking about the amount of salt in our food and the need for healthier environments to enable healthier choices.
• Individuals must take ACTION – write to companies to ask for less salt in food, write to government representatives to demand a strong salt reduction strategy, share personal salt reduction strategies on social media, encourage friends and family members to add less salt to food and to choose the lower salt option.