The Government should introduce a "salt tax" to help reduce salt intake in snack and processed foods, according to a public-health specialist. Lower salt consumption could help reduce blood pressure and the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Some cream crackers and corn flakes are saltier than sea water, according to Prof Ivan Perry, of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College Cork. He believes a tax on overly salty processed foods would force manufacturers to lower unnecessary salt, and so contribute to public health.
The typical adult consumed 10 grams of salt a day, he said - more than one-and-a-half teaspoons. Young children might consume half this amount, but their lower body mass meant they were eating the equivalent of up to three teaspoons of salt per day.
"The fundamental issue is if we could get the food industry to gradually reduce salt over time, people wouldn't notice," Prof Perry said yesterday. Some Scandinavian countries had done this, but manufacturers had resisted.
"The reason they are fighting a rearguard action on salt is it increases bulk, the shelf life of the food and consumption of soft drinks," he said.
The fast-food and processed-food industries made concerted efforts to modify food habits, Prof Perry said. The child's portion of chips and mineral given today was larger than the adult portion given in the 1970s.
"You have an industry here competing on quantity, not quality. It is therefore not surprising that there is an epidemic of childhood obesity," he said.
At the very least, biscuits, bread and convenience foods that exceed a target salt-level should be taxed at a higher rate, Prof Perry said. The Republic could follow Sweden, where these foods are labelled as "high-salt".
Food-contents labelling is poor and difficult for consumers to understand, and should be simplified. "I think it should be based on salt levels compared to sea water," he said, a measure that most people could comprehend.
For example, manufacturers prefer to measure grams of sodium - rather than grams of salt - for labelling purposes because the figures appear lower. Sea water has 1 gram of sodium (or 2.5 grams of salt) per 100 grams. Most cream crackers and corn flakes have 1.1 grams of sodium (2.75 grams of salt) per 100 grams, he said.
"The reason I highlight salt is that it has to be tackled at government and industrial level," Prof Perry said.
Forcing people to use seat belts - and curbing smoking - was saving lives. "We have decades of research that shows that simply telling people to have a sensible diet or take more exercise is a waste of time," he added.
The health impact of smoking, diet and alcohol will be discussed at the second "Population Health Summer School", from September 4th to 6th, at UCC's Boole Lecture Theatre 1.