SALT CELLARS are slowly disappearing from Irish tables but that doesn't mean our salt intake has greatly reduced. We currently take in about 10g of salt per day but most of it is hidden in bread, meat products and processed foods, writes Alison Healy
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is trying to reduce our intake of salt to one teaspoon, or 6g, per day.
Four years ago, the authority began a voluntary salt-reduction programme and signed up 72 companies and organisations to the programme. According to the latest findings from the FSAI, these organisations have achieved a 7 per cent reduction in the salt that people consume from processed food.
With the exception of Lidl and Aldi, all the major supermarket retailers are involved in the programme. "Lidl and Aldi were approached but we didn't get very far with them," said Dr Wayne Anderson, the authority's chief food science specialist.
The FSAI praised all retailers for their efforts in reducing salt but found that the ADM Londis group would have to speed up progress to meet 2010 deadlines.
Carroll Cuisine, best known for its cold meats and ready meals, had "exceeded all expectations" in its salt-reduction programme and "great progress has been made in the meat products area".
Fast food outlets were also praised with McDonald's highlighted for its low-salt ketchup and Supermacs praised for its "active salt programme". Kentucky Fried Chicken and Abrakebabra were also commended although the Eddie Rocket's chain appeared to have dropped out of the initiative, according to the FSAI.
Under the umbrella of the Irish Hotels Federation, 250 hotels have committed to adding no salt in the preparation and serving of children's food.
The O'Callaghan hotel group "seem to be leading the way amongst large hotel peers with regard to salt reduction", the FSAI noted. The group's Dublin hotels include the Davenport, the Alexander and the Mont Clare.
However, 10 groups failed to update the FSAI on their progress. They included the Ibis Hotel group, which has budget hotels in places such as Dublin, Cork and Galway.
The O'Brien's sandwich bar chain also failed to report on its progress in reducing salt in cured meats, bread, soups, sauces and snacks. Meanwhile, the Vintner's Federation of Ireland indicated that it was opting out of the plan. The Irish Prison Service had signed up to the programme but had not reported in two years. It had promised to reduce salt content of its 28-day menu, subject to the availability of salt-reduced ingredients.
The Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland failed to provide an update but its chief executive Pat Brady said the association was "very committed" to the salt-reduction plan and had actively pursued its objectives. "But we are a very small trade organisation with a staff of four," he said.
However, this progress made by food producers would come to nothing if people did not change their behaviour, according to the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute.
Its spokeswoman Margot Brennan said we now had to establish if people were adding salt at the table, to compensate for the manufacturers' reduction in salt. She said research was under way which involved the collection of urine to measure its sodium content.
Ms Brennan said the connection between salt and heart disease was stronger than the link between smoking and cancer yet it had not registered with the public in the same way.
In 2006, about 35 per cent of all deaths in Ireland were from circulatory disease including cardiovascular disease.
IBEC's Food and Drink Industry Ireland group said the removal of salt from products had not been a straight-forward process. Its director, Paul Kelly, said a gradual step-by-step approach was being followed by manufacturers such as Kepak, Kerry Foods and the Dawn group. The salt reduction would continue "where feasible and subject to consumer acceptance", he said.
The good and the bad: company successes and failures
Some companies praised for salt reduction in the products they manufacture or offer:
• Carroll Cuisine meat and savoury products.
• McCambridge bread manufacturers.
• Heinz.
• O'Callaghan Hotels.
• Glanbia, which makes Avonmore soups.
• PepsiCo, which makes Walkers crisps.
• KP crisps.
• Kerry Foods, which makes dairy products.
• Retailers such as Tesco, Dunnes, Superquinn and Marks Spencer.
• Fast food outlets such as McDonald's, Supermacs and Burger King.
• Companies that failed to provide an update on progress include:
• Eddie Rocket's restaurants.
• Ibis Hotels.
• Kylemore Foods Group.
• O'Brien's sandwich bars.
• Fitzers' Catering.
• James Kelly Son, Wexford, bread manufacturers.
• Clonakilty Food Company.
• Irish Prison Service catering.
See www.fsai.ie for the complete list of companies involved and progress made