Campaign urges closer scrutiny of salt intake
ALMOST three quarters of people in Northern Ireland are unaware that bread and breakfast cereals are among the top salt-contributing foods in our diet.
A new Food Standards Agency survey found that 73 per cent of people here don't know that the daily staples for most people also contain the most salt.
The agency says that around 75 per cent of the salt we eat comes from everyday foods and the items that contribute the most salt to our diets are not necessarily the saltiest, but the ones we eat most often.
The top three salty foods are bread, followed by meat products, then breakfast cereals.
When asked to pick the top three from a list of the 10 foods that contribute the most salt to our diets, only 14 per cent of people mentioned bread and breakfast cereals.
The Food Standards Agency is launching a new advertising campaign today urging people to pay closer attention to the salt levels in the foods they are buying.
The campaign features foods which make significant contributions to the salt intakes of adults and children. The FSA says the salt levels of similar foods vary across brands, so a simple way to reduce the amount of salt we eat is to choose the ones that are lower in salt.
The survey also found that just over a third of people believe the supermarket value ranges are higher in salt than others, but this isn't necessarily the case.
It said sometimes the cheapest ranges are among the lowest in salt and that supermarket own-label versions of some foods, including bread, are often lower in salt than the branded versions, and the only way of knowing for sure is by checking the labels.
The FSA says this is particularly important in the case of bread as people in Northern Ireland eat more bread every day than in anywhere else in the UK, and it can significantly affect their daily salt intake
Agency spokeswoman Maria Jennings said: "Salt intakes are coming down, but if we are to get closer to meeting our target of reducing intakes to 6g a day, people need to become more aware of the foods which contribute to intakes, as it isn't just the obvious things we need to watch out for as far as salt is concerned.
"We're not suggesting people stop eating or even cut down on bread or breakfast cereals, as they are an important part of a healthy diet, but we are saying take a look at the labels to find one that is lower in salt. This could be a supermarket own-label product, and maybe one from the 'value' range. If so, any cost saving is an added bonus."
Health minister Michael McGimpsey also urged people to look at their salt intake.
He said: "People in Northern Ireland and indeed across the UK are still consuming significantly more salt than is recommended and I hope that the messages of this campaign go a long way to helping people reduce their intake to 6g a day.
"A diet high in salt can be a factor in causing heart disease and stroke so everyone needs to start taking responsibility for the amount of salt we put into our bodies and learn to check the labels on the food we buy."
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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