We know a high salt diet raises the risk of high blood pressure, but in truth, the impact of excess salt goes far beyond that.

Regularly eating too much salt puts strain on the heart, brain, kidneys and blood vessels, increasing the risk of serious health conditions such as heart attack, heart failure, stroke, kidney disease, vascular dementia, osteoporosis, and stomach cancer.

Despite these risks, many people in the UK – and around the world – are still unknowingly consuming far more salt than recommended. Much of the salt we consume isn’t added at home but instead is already present in the everyday foods we buy and eat. 

Recent insights show over half of the UK population are not confident in estimating their daily salt intake, and average consumption in the UK currently stands at 8.4g a day - well above the recommended maximum of 6g. As salt intake remains high, so too will rates of high blood pressure and the risk of serious health conditions. 

Reducing salt is one of the simplest and most impactful ways to improve our health. In practise, this can be small individual acts - such as cutting down on salt added at the table and choosing lower-salt alternatives - but also, crucially, systemic action from the food industry and government is needed to reduce salt across the food supply. 

This Salt Awareness Week, we’re making sure everyone knows the facts, and are calling on the government and the food industry to do more to protect public health and Salt It Out for good.  

Download our Salt Awareness Week 2026 [PDF 6,171KB] graphic. 

 

Report - Salt Out Our Sandwiches: A nutritional analysis of the lunch-on-the-go staple

Our newest report, published for Salt Awareness Week reveals worrying levels of hidden salt, fat and calories in many of the UK's most popular sandwiches, a staple food eaten by millions every day. Read more on the findings. 

 

Supporters

We are delighted to have such a range of campaign supporters from across the sector. Read their calls for global salt reduction: NGO Supporters - Salt Awareness Week 2026.pdf [PDF 1,156KB]

 

Resources 

We're pleased to be able to provide a variety of resources for local salt-awareness events and for year-round display in healthcare and community settings - including our Salt Awareness Week 2026 [PDF 6,171KB] poster.

You can also download our Spanish version (in partnership with Comisión Cardiovascular Uruguay): Salt Awareness Week 2026 Poster (Spanish translation) [PDF 6,237KB]

Our free educational resources are available to download on our website.

 

Get Involved 

If you would like to be involved - whether you are a food business, health organisation, community group, policymaker or school – we would love to hear from you! 

You can find us on LinkedIn, Instagram and BlueSky and join the conversation using #SaltAwarenessWeek - or reach out via email to salt@qmul.ac.uk. Also be sure to sign up to our newsletter for updates during the week!