“What we eat makes us sicker”
Worried about the impact of salt on people's health, Australian experts are calling for a mandatory maximum limit of salt in food. Australians consume nearly double the recommended daily salt intake, they say, but a new report says individual choices aren't always to blame.
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There are calls to force limits on the amount of salt in certain foods as the country's salt intake is well above recommended levels, but poor choices are not always to blame, reports the Australian Associated Press.
The average Australian consumes almost twice (1.9 times) the recommended daily intake of salt, costing the health care system $10 billion a year.
However, the Sneaky Salt report says that blaming individuals for poor food choices does not make sense as many external factors push people towards certain foods and away from others.
Three quarters of the country's salt consumption comes from food production, prompting the think tank to call on the government to introduce salt restrictions.
Voluntary restrictions on the amount of salt in bread and sausages were introduced in 2009, but they were poorly designed and implemented, the report said.
The report calls on Australia's federal and state governments to introduce some mandatory salt intake limits, increase the types of foods subject to restrictions, and measure the salt content of food from bakeries and fast food restaurants.
This also raises the possibility of exploring whether salt should be fortified with potassium, since this mineral can make food taste saltier.
Salt raises blood pressure and is linked to serious illnesses including hypertension, heart disease, some cancers and stroke, the Australian Associated Press notes.
About 2,500 Australians die each year from salt-related illnesses, but the report says states that collectively, the nation could live another 36,000 years over the next two decades by cutting consumption.
The report also claims that doing so would help prevent 6,000 hospital visits and 300 deaths a year.
The report also claims that this would help prevent 6,000 hospital visits and 300 deaths per year.
The report also claims that this would help prevent 6,000 hospital visits and 300 deaths per year.
“What we eat makes us sicker,” – says Peter Breadon, director of the Grattan Institute's health program.
“If we don't improve our diets, we won't improve our health, says Breadon. – Our report shows how we can improve our diets and our health quickly and inexpensively – and we won’t even notice any changes in the taste of our food”.
Multiple studies have shown that more intensive efforts targeting retailers and the food industry are needed to curb population salt intake.
Research previously published in the European Journal of Nutrition in July found that a national initiative in Victoria , which aimed to reduce salt intake among adults over a four-year period, partly through increasing consumer awareness and changing consumer behavior, was unsuccessful.
The study recommended improved food labeling and mandatory food reformulation as measures needed to influence salt intake.
There is also growing concern about the effects on children. On average, almost 40% of an Australian child's daily energy intake comes from so-called diet foods, which are highly processed foods that have little or no nutritional value and are high in salt, sugar or trans fat.