Salt warning labels in restaurants and supermarkets found to positively influence healthier dietary choices
A new paper published in The Lancet Public Health explores the implications of introducing salt warning labels onto food products.
The study designed warning labels for packaged supermarket products and restaurant menus before measuring the impact on hypothetical food choices. Participants were tested via online and real-world randomised controlled trials, with the results suggesting that such salt warning labels are effective at reducing the amount of salt chosen and consumed by participants, for example encouraging a 0.54g salt reduction in a real-world restaurant setting.
The conclusions drawn suggest that salt warning labels on restaurant menus in particular are a promising policy option to address excessive salt intake within the UK out-of-home food sector. Across both trials, the labels were found to be equally effective regardless of age, sex, or education level. This suggests such interventions may be helpful for all and will therefore not exacerbate existing health inequalities.
Commenting on the paper’s findings, Sonia Pombo, Head of Research and Impact at Action on Salt said:
"This important new study adds to the growing evidence that clear and visible salt warning labels on menus can positively influence consumer choices and reduce salt intake.
With excessive salt in out of home meals contributing to high blood pressure and thousands of preventable deaths each year, the findings offer a simple but powerful tool for policymakers.
Eating out is no longer an occasional indulgence - it’s a routine part of daily life. Yet many meals are loaded with salt, often without our knowledge or consent. If we’re serious about protecting public health and saving lives, salt reduction must be front and centre of the UK’s food policy agenda."
Read the full paper in The Lancet Public Health.
