CASH Comment on the Department of Health’s pledge on salt reduction
15.03.11. The Department of Health has launched the Public Health Responsibility Deal, putting vital salt reduction work into the hands of the food industry. Forward thinking companies have pledged to reduce salt in their foods by 15% over the next 2 years, which would save 6,000 lives a year.
Those companies that have signed the pledge have committed to meeting the 2012 salt targets that CASH and the Food Standards Agency originally helped negotiate with the food industry in 2008. Although this should result in salt intakes coming down by 1 gram from the current intake of 8.6g to 7.6g in 2012, this is still a long way from the maximum 6g salt a day target.
Professor Graham MacGregor of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine and Chairman of CASH says “Whilst it is disappointing not to have more challenging salt reduction targets, when salt reduction is the simplest and most effective public health campaign we have in the UK, this 1g per day reduction will contribute to reducing the massive burden of blood pressure and the resulting cardiovascular disease in the UK.
“CASH have agreed to support the pledge, and with Salt Awareness Week next week (21st-27th March), we urge all food companies to sign the pledge – they put the salt in our food and now it is their responsibility to take it out.”
For more information about the deal and to find out who has signed the salt pledge please click here
Useful Links
Department of Health 'Public Health Responsibility Deal'
Food Manufacturer 'Salt campaign group welcomes responsibility deal'
BBC 'More groups reject health deal as pledges unveiled'
Telegraph 'More health bodies criticise Government deal with industry'
Children's Food Campaign 'underwhelmed' by Responsibility Deal.
For more information contact:
• Professor Graham MacGregor on: g.macgregor@qmul.ac.uk
• Katharine Jenner on: 020 7882 6018 /5941 or 07740 553298, k.jenner@qmul.ac.uk
• Amy Thorne on: 0207 221 5040 / 07525 486100, amy@taste-pr.com / emily@taste-pr.com
