High levels of salt in food is becoming an increasing concern for healthcare professionals and consumers as the dangers of a high-salt diet becomes more widely understood. So how is the food industry tackling this issue?
In the wake of the delay of the UK’s landmark HFSS guidance on volume and price, UK company LoSalt is calling for greater salt reduction regulations and education from the government.
PepsiCo is reducing the sodium content in Lay’s Classic Potato Chips by 15% but aims to maintain – and even ramp up – the taste by using natural seasonings, potato varieties and playing around with the shapes and sizes of salt crystals to optimise flavour...
The food industry in Thailand is calling for the development of a more all-rounded solution to reduce sodium consumption, including product reformulation and innovation, amid continuing talk of a salt tax.
The Reformul8 Challenge Fund (RCF) – part of Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Scotland’s Reformulation for Health programme – is designed to support local SMMEs with the financial costs of making their products healthier.
A new Oxford-led analysis reveals the average salt content of products sold at UK supermarkets has shown no change in the past five years. The categories with the highest salt content in 2020 were savoury snacks and bread.
Knives and forks that send an electrical current to the tongue can enhance the saltiness and possibly the savouriness of low-sodium foods, scientists claim, and may help millions stick to a low-sodium diet without sacrificing taste.
After a year of tinkering around, the breakfast cereal giant’s food developers have successfully reduced the sodium content in its Special K cereal range by around 20% – without dramatically changing its iconic flavour profile.
While many consumers may be aware of the drawbacks of a high sodium diet, fewer are actively reducing their sodium intake and believe it is the responsibility of food manufacturers to provide products that are both flavorful and low in sodium, presenting...
The UK Government has introduced new rules for high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) products that – when implemented in October next year – will affect the advertising of HFSS brands, volume promotions and the display of HFSS products instore.
Australian researchers have identified bread, cheese and processed meat products as key dietary contributors of salt requiring sodium reformulation in a new study, urging the government to widen its focus on reformulating these foods to achieve positive...
Obesity Action Scotland (OAS) has called for a ban on the ‘incessant’ marketing of snacks high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) like cakes, biscuits, confectionery and savoury snacks as lockdown has sent the nation’s weight gain soaring.
Salt of the Earth says its Mediterranean Umami can help manufacturers improve the nutrient profiling calculation of their savoury snacks. Nutri-Score has been adopted by numerous European countries and companies like Nestlé and Danone.
The Snack, Nut and Crisp Manufacturers Association (SNACMA) has released its most recent industry report, entitled ‘Celebrating the UK snacks industry’, which outlines a strong outlook for the sector.
There have been “significant reductions” in salt intake among the Irish population thanks to voluntary industry efforts, says the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) - but intake is still more than double the recommended levels for men.
Kellogg Australia has reduced the sodium content of its Special K cereals by 15% in a recipe overhaul and says it will take a new, healthier direction in 2014.
Bakers seeking to meet sodium reduction targets can take hope in new research conducted at Oregon State University that shows that consumers are willing to accept lower-salt breads and, if the reductions are small enough, may not even notice.
Smaller salt crystals give a faster, more concentrated perception of saltiness in potato chips, offering a viable sodium reduction strategy, researchers say.
There is a raft of options now available to food manufacturers looking to reduce salt - but how about mushrooms? Frozen mushroom giant Scelta Mushrooms has two ingredients for salt replacement, including one for (non-mushroom-flavoured) bread.
Communicating sodium reduction efforts in bakery is a challenge given consumer knowledge is often limited, says the MD of UK-based firm The Low Sodium Sea Salt Company.
Bread bakers should be prepared to face further reductions in salt levels when new limits are set by the Department of Health (DH) later this year – despite hitting their 2012 targets and reducing levels by 40% over the past decade.
A new analysis of sodium levels in 480 packaged and restaurant foods over the period 2005-2011 provides further evidence that voluntary approaches to sodium reduction have not delivered the across-the-board reductions required to meet government targets.
Trade groups have hit back at critics of their view that the UK food industry is reaching the limits of salt reduction, following a report published today on the topic.
Reducing sodium is expensive and difficult, and many bakers are beginning to wonder whether it is worth investing millions into reformulating products that consumers do not want to buy, according to the Association of Bakers (ABA).
Leading members of the UK food industry have announced a partnership to fund and deliver a new comprehensive report on reformulation and sodium reduction methods.
The food industry is equipped to achieve realistic sodium reduction goals, but formulators must think about sodium not salt to have a greater likelihood of success, says Cargill’s salt application leader.
The United States lists sodium on nutrition labels while salt is more common in the European Union. Salt and sodium are not the same, and a standardized term would only cause confusion.
The UK firm behind technology that gives salt a far greater kick by making it re-crystallise into tiny hollow balls a fraction of the size of standard salt - has started to make waves across the Pond.
Ajinomoto has developed a new ingredient system that the company says can reduce sodium content in broths and snack seasonings by about a third without a noticeable difference in flavor.
General Mills has become the latest major food manufacturer to announce a sodium reduction strategy, pledging a 20 percent reduction in about 40 percent of its product portfolio by 2015.
Ongoing amendments to salt reduction targets across European markets like the UK are throwing up unknown challenges for bakers beyond just affecting taste, with fears over the possible wider impacts for product quality, according to industry leaders.
The food industry has again come under fire for the amount of salt used in products as a survey found that levels had stayed ‘essentially the same’ over the last three years.
Efforts to reduce salt in packaged foods involve more than just
salt replacers and flavour enhancers, as suppliers contribute to
overall efforts by tweaking processes to make lower sodium
ingredients.
The decision by Unilever to slash the salt content of its
ubiquitous Pot Noodle snack underlines the current trend in the UK
- but is this trend based on sound science or just political
pressure?
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has added its voice to the
calls for more information on sodium content, in particular about
the dangers of high levels of salt in the diet.
Reviewing current science on salt and its effects on health, UK
scientists say that while there is no proven evidence to support
intake restriction guidelines in the general population, no-one
would be disadvantaged by reducing their...
