THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) that there is a need to reinvigorate a campaign to reduce the nation’s daily salt intake is both welcome and worrying. An original initiative had aimed to reduce Irish people’s daily intake from 10 to six grammes by 2010. However, the deadline has now been extended by two years. The FSAI confirmed we continue to consume salt at an “alarming” level, with up to 80 per cent of consumption attributable to our fondness for processed food.
Salt, once a prime factor in the development of national economies, was especially valued for its ability to preserve food in an age before refrigeration. It freed communities from a dependence on the seasonal availability of food. Long distance travel was facilitated by the availability of meat and other foods preserved in salt. A traditional fondness for salty food has been reinforced in recent years by the ready availability of processed foods, many of which combine convenience with a higher-salt content; a cup of instant soup may contain the equivalent amount of salt found in two cups of seawater.
With such a high percentage of our daily salt intake made up of salt added to food through the manufacturing process, any serious attempt at reduction must extend well beyond a cut in the amount of salt we consume at the table. At most, about 20 per cent of our daily intake comes from salt added during cooking or while eating.
Any lingering doubt about the negative health consequences of excessive salt in the diet was quashed with the publication in 2007 of the landmark TOHP studies. Over 3,000 people with normal blood pressure either reduced their salt intake by up to 2.6 grammes per day or made no dietary changes for a period of 36 months on average. After a 15-year follow up, those who had reduced their intake had a 30 per cent lower incidence of heart attacks and strokes. Separate studies have shown that for people with high blood pressure, a cut in salt intake decreases their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by one fifth over a 10-year period.
These highly significant public health gains must be pursued with vigour. The food industry has contributed to a voluntary initiative aimed at reducing the salt content of food. But in recessionary times it is less easy for those on lower incomes to choose the healthier option of fresh food. With little shift in personal salt consumption levels likely, it may be time to move to a legislative solution.