Voluntary action by the food industry and retailers has failed to bring the nation’s salt intake down to safe levels and thousands of people have died unnecessarily as a result, say campaigners.
Public Health England (PHE) faced harsh criticism as it published the first comprehensive report on the salt reductions that have been achieved by food manufacturers and retailers in 14 years. It showed that only just over half of the targets were met.
“Such poor progress in PHE’s attempt to reduce salt intake is a national tragedy,” said Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine and chair of the pressure group Action on Salt.
“This report confirms what we know already – that voluntary targets need comprehensive monitoring and guidance but this has been completely lacking from PHE. As a result, thousands of unnecessary strokes and heart attacks have occurred and billions of pounds wasted by the NHS; and tragically more than 4,000 premature deaths per year have occurred.”
In 2003 the government’s scientific advisory committee on nutrition published a report detailing evidence that high levels of salt raise blood pressure, contributing to cardiovascular diseases, strokes and heart attacks. It advocated a reduction in intake from about 9g per person per day to 6g – a target that guidance from the World Health Organisation endorsed.
The food industry was invited to take voluntary measures to cut down on salt in processed food products, including bread, burgers, pasta and biscuits. In 2014 the government set specific targets to be met by 2017. Over the years some progress has been made. PHE’s report says salt intake was down to 8g per adult per day by 2014.
But the report on meeting the 2017 targets – the first time an assessment has been made by a government body – shows a very mixed picture, with progress in some areas and none in others. Food manufacturers have hit the targets far less often than retailers.
Just over half (52%) of all the salt reduction targets were met by 2017, the report says. While retailers met 73% of the targets, food manufacturers met only 37%.
Salt was reduced in some foods more than others. All the targets were met for the food groups of breakfast cereals, fat spreads, baked beans, pizzas, cakes, pastries, fruit pies and other pastry-based desserts, pasta, quiche, processed potato products, stocks and gravies – by both manufacturers and retailers.
But meat products did not meet any targets, and 43% of such products had salt levels above the maximum level.
Salt levels tend to be higher in foods eaten out of the home. In five out of 11 categories – breaded/battered chicken, pizza, children’s main meals, beef/chicken/roast main meals and sandwiches – at least 75% of products had salt levels that were acceptably below the maximum per serving target.
But six other categories – chips, burgers in a bun, battered or breaded seafood, pies, sauce-based meals such as curries and pasta meals – failed to meet targets.
About half the products categorised as burgers in a bun or pasta meals had salt levels that were above the maximum levels (50% and 48% respectively).
The public health minister, Steve Brine, said: “While it is encouraging to see the food industry is making progress towards the salt reduction targets we set in 2014, we know there is more to do. That’s why we committed to further reducing salt intake in our prevention vision. Next year we will put forward realistic but ambitious goals and set out details of how we will meet them.”
Dr Alison Tedstone, the chief nutritionist at PHE, said heart disease and stroke were two of the biggest killers in the UK.
“While we have seen some progress [on salt], those that have taken little or no action cannot be excused for their inactivity,” she said. “It is clear that with the right leadership from industry, further salt reduction in foods continues to be possible.”
The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) said its members had done a lot. “This report shows the good progress manufacturers have made under the ambitious salt reduction programme, with almost three-quarters of foods falling below the maximum salt targets,” said Kate Halliwell, the federation’s head of UK diet and health policy.
“FDF members have led the way in reducing salt in food. Voluntary action helped to reduce adult intakes by 11% between 2005-6 and 2014. And during the lifetime of the latest salt targets (2012 to 2017) our members have reduced salt by a further 11.4%, continuing to build on more than 15 years of steady reformulation work. This has been done without compromising on taste, quality or safety.
“Most ingredients in food perform a wide range of functions, and go well beyond adding flavour, such as providing texture or shelf-life. This means taking anything out of food (through reformulation), be it salt, sugar or calories, is not straightforward. Nevertheless, we recognise there is more to be done and manufacturers remain committed to the government’s various reformulation programmes.”