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Think before you say ‘pass the salt please’
South Africans are eating twice as much salt as they should. Even
more alarming, a fifth of South Africans are so entrenched in the
salt habit, they add salt to their food without tasting it first. Men
are the worst offenders.
As a result the country’s already heavy health burden is getting
worse, with lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, high blood pres-
sure and coronary heart disease reportedly on a sharp increase. So
worrying are the statistics that national health minister Dr Aaron
Motsoaledi is planning to introduce legislation that will control
the amount of salt that is allowed to be introduced into food prod-
ucts manufactured and sold in South Africa.
During a briefing to Parliament recently, Motsoaledi said that
an acceptable daily average per adult was between 4 and 6 g. ‘But
from our investigation, the average South African consumes an
average of 9.8 g a day, which is far toomuch for a healthy lifestyle’,
he said. Processed foods, said Motsoaledi, were the main source
of salt intake, rather than what consumers added at the table.
Durban-based Unilever conducted a national survey earlier this
year to ascertain the level of understanding about the dangers of a
diet containing too much salt. Unilever’s focus on salt reduction is
in line with Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan launched in 2010,
where the FMCG has committed globally to help more than one
billion people take action to improve their health and well-being.
In South Africa Unilever is making good progress reducing
salt levels in its products and the goal is to reduce the level further
to help consumers meet the recommended level of 6 g of salt
per day. Nazeeia Sayed, Unilever’s national nutrition and health
manager and convener of a salt-reduction workshop at the North
Coast estate of Zimbali last week, said that the findings were
‘
extremely illuminating’.
She said it was clear from the nearly 1 000 interviews that the
majority of people had no idea how much salt was in their food,
or how much they should be consuming on a daily basis. It was
clear, she said, that the salt issue was ‘not top of mind’ for the
majority of consumers who took part in the survey. ‘However,
some people, for instance those with high blood pressure, were
particularly interested in learning more about salt reduction and
how a lower intake of salt could potentially help them maintain a
healthy blood pressure.’
The survey found that most sodium comes from purchased
foods, accounting for 77% of intake. This included seasonings,
bread, processed meat and breakfast cereals. The people who
consumed the most salt were between the ages of 18 and 34 years,
mostly single and studying. People suffering from high blood
pressure were also among the high salt users.
Consumers surveyed said that they would be willing to reduce
their salt intake, and that there should be greater awareness made
of the alternatives, such as herbs and spices, and how to cook
low-salt meals and use low-salt substitutes. ‘Consumers also
wanted better salt signage on food labels’, said Sayed. ‘A fun
masterchef programme on tasty low-salt meals was also suggested
as a way to get South Africans to reduce their salt intake.’
Among those who participated in the survey and those who will
be targeted for support of the national salt-reduction programme
…
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