Retailers do their bit on salt reduction
at reducing salt levels in their own label processed foods such as
soups, pizzas and ready meals.
The minimising salt framework was developed by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) in response to the government's call for the food chain to cut down on salt usage, with particular focus on processed foods where salt content is often 'hidden'.
At present, the UK Food Standards Agency recommends that daily salt intake should not exceed 6g per person.
Nine processed food groups have been identified as being of particular concern, and take into account the varied diet of the British population. The BRC framework establishes upper levels for salt content for all nine categories.
For baked beans in tomato sauce, the upper level is set at 2.3g per serving, while for plant-baked loaves the limit is 1.1g per serving with an additional commitment to reduce this to no more than 0.9g per serving for half of all loaves sold.
For breakfast cereals, the limit is set at 0.9g, with the additional requirement to reduce this to 0.7g for half of all cereals. Quiches have an upper limit of 1g of salt per serving, except for those which contain cured meat which have a limit of 1.5 g, while pizzas, both chilled and frozen, must contain no more than 3g per serving, again excluding those made with cured meat where the limit is set at 3.9g.
Ready meals have an upper limit of 5g per serving, although the aim is to reduce this to 3g for half of all ready meals. The upper level for sandwiches is 4g per serving, with a secondary requirement that half of all sandwiches contain no more than 2.4 g per serving.
Soups, whether dry, ambient, chilled or canned, should contain no more than 2.5g of salt, while non-concentrated cook-in sauces have a limit of 2.7g and a commitment to reduce this to 2g for half of all products in the category.
According to the BRC, retailers will focus on at least two of the groups within the first 12 months of the programme and aim to have salt content in all nine food groups reviewed and minimised within a five-year period.
Richard Ali, BRC food policy director, said: "This is a major step and retailers should be praised for their commitment. We welcome the work of other brand owners and associations and encourage all sectors to join retailers' ongoing work, so that all products within customers shopping baskets can be included.
"A long period of time will be needed to bring about the cultural shift in attitudes to salt intake and we feel that a cross-government approach in developing a salt awareness campaign could facilitate this shift. This is the key to educating people on the role of salt in health."
As part of this framework, BRC members (which include supermarkets, convenience stores, department stores and industry associations, among others) are also committed to providing simplified information on salt content on food labelling, according to Ali.
The BRC said that research had shown that few consumers found the 'per 100g' format useful in assessing the nutrient contribution of foods. As a result, it said, retailers had worked closely with the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) to draw up new Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) for fat, saturated fat, calories and salt, and these were now used by all the major UK food retailers.
Retailers were also instrumental in reducing the salt content of plant-baked bread by at least 10 per cent in 2000, the BRC said, and in fact British retailers have on average reduced the salt content of their own label products by 10-15 per cent since 1998.
The commitment to reduce salt content comes as the UK Consumers' Association renewed its calls for retailers to become more involved in changing consumers' diets in a bid to reduce diet-related health problems.
"Research shows that there are a number of barriers that discourage people from eating a healthy diet," said Ali. "Our members already play an active part in helping people overcome these barriers by providing a wide range of well-labelled, convenient, attractive and accessible products.
"Food retailers work from the principles established by health professionals that there are no good or bad foods, only good and bad diets. Our members are committed to providing the widest possible choice of safe, wholesome foods from which a balanced and varied diet can be created.
"However, consumers cannot be forced to lead healthier lives. Retailers have long argued that the government must do more to promote balanced diets as part of a healthy lifestyle. The BRC believes this is best achieved by a cohesive national strategy to tackle public health issues, including diet and exercise."
