Salt - What is it?
- Salt is composed of sodium and chloride.
- 1g of salt contains about 0.4g of sodium.
Salt is naturally occurring and many different types of salt are harvested globally . From Bolivian rose salt (pink from its high iron content ) to clay enriched Hawaiian sea salt which is a rich red colour. A British sea salt is prized by many chefs worldwide for its light flaky crystals and its ability to bring out the flavour of different foods.
As an ingredient, salt is used for a number of functions:
- to enhance flavour;
- to influence texture;
- to control yeast fermentation;
- as a food preservative
Salt and Health
Both sodium and chloride are needed for the normal functioning of a healthy body. They play a role in maintaining fluid balance, in healthy nerve function and normal muscle action. The average sodium intake by adults is 3.5 g per day (equivalent to 9 g of salt).The RNI (recommended nutrient intake) for sodium is 1.6 g per day.
Current advice from the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency and health professionals is that we should aim to reduce the salt in our diets. This is because salt is the main source of dietary sodium. High sodium intakes have been associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure. High blood pressure is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. In those people who already have a high blood pressure, a reduced salt intake can help lower it. There is a stronger link between salt intake (sodium) and high blood pressure in people who are obese.A reduction in salt intake from 9 g per day to 6 g per day (2.4g sodium) is recommended by the Department of Health, based on the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA) report on Nutritional Aspects of Cardiovascular Disease.
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) salt report was published in May 2003, with confirmation of the 6g a day target for adults and new figures for children.
The table below gives the figures published
|
0-6 months |
less than 1g per day
|
|
7-12 months |
1g per day |
|
1-3 years |
2g per day |
|
4-6 years |
3g per day |
|
7-10 years |
5g per day |
|
11-14yrs |
6g per day |
Other practical recommendations to reduce blood pressure include maintaining ideal body weight, keeping to sensible drinking limits, taking regular exercise, including plenty of fruit, vegetables and low fat dairy products in the diet (as these provide potassium and calcium respectively and these minerals are thought to have a beneficial effect).
Sources of Salt
Sodium and chloride are comparatively low in all foods which have not been processed. For example, salt is low in pork and other unprocessed meats but higher in bacon, sausages and other meat products as salt is added; low in herrings but higher in kippers. Salt is also added to many canned vegetables, most butter, margarine and spreads, cheese, bread, many savoury snack foods and some breakfast cereals.
On average we get the following proportions of salt (sodium) in our diet from these three sources:
- 15% from foods which naturally contain sodium;
- 15% from the salt we add to food during cooking or at the table;
- 70% from manufactured foods.
The chart below shows the percentage of sodium provided by various categories of food from the National Food Survey 2000, published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
|
Food Type |
% |
|
Milk and Cream |
5.36
|
|
Cheese
|
4.21 |
|
Meat (beef and veal, mutton and lamb, pork, uncooked poultry)
|
1.53
|
|
Meat products (includes bacon and ham)
|
19.16 |
|
Fish |
2.68 |
|
Eggs
|
0.77
|
|
Fats and oils |
4.60
|
|
Fresh potatoes |
0.38 |
|
Other fresh vegetables
|
0.38 |
|
Processed vegetables |
8.43 |
|
Fruit |
0.38 |
|
Cereals (white, brown and wholemeal bread, cakes, pastries and biscuits,breakfast cereals) |
37.55 |
|
Other foods
|
12.64 |
|
Soft drinks
|
0.77 |
|
Confectionery |
0.38 |
Excludes sodium from table salt.
Salt Reduction Initiative
About 70% of the salt in our diets comes from manufactured foods. The rest of the salt comes from what is added during cooking and at the table. It is therefore easy for people to decide what to add themselves, but to help reduce salt in the diet, Sainsbury's have been working with its suppliers. The aim is to reduce salt by 10-15% without affecting eating quality and safety. Since 1999, over 370 tonnes of salt per year (34 double decker bus loads) have been removed from Sainsbury's products, which includes ready meals, crisps, sausages and bread.
Other ways to reduce salt intake include:
- do not add salt at the table
- encourage use of herbs and spices;
- use of other ingredients, e.g. fruit and vegetables;
- use salt more effectively, e.g. by using finer milled salt on crisps, less salt is used as the finer milled salt has a greater surface area, which provides enhanced taste.
Sainsbury's has a Salt Working Group, which involves its Quality Managers throughout the business in new product developments and reformulations. The aim of the group is to challenge thinking behind the use of salt (sodium) and to reduce use by 10-15% without affecting eating quality or product safety. Other work at Sainsbury's includes running salt tolerance sampling sessions for those involved in product development and quality management.
Salt Labelling
Legal requirements for labelling require that the amount of 'sodium' provided by a food is listed. In December 2000, Sainsbury's conducted research with four groups of customers about their interest in salt. The groups were asked about their concerns, whether salt influenced their food purchasing and different styles of food labelling.
Overall, the groups response indicated that:
- salt was associated with making food taste good;
- salt is not a good thing in excess.
- With regard to labelling: reduced salt was seen as a disincentive to buy a product, as it gave the impression of a bland taste;
- sodium was only understood by the minority;
- salt was the preferred term;
- guidelines for acceptable daily intakes of salt would be appreciated.
In light of this research, Sainsbury's changed its nutrition label to include salt information. To help consumers, nutrition information now provides salt and 'of which sodium' values. These mimic the style of Carbohydrate and 'of which sugars' and 'of which starch' and Fat and ' of which saturates'.
Guideline Daily Amounts , for average adults, now also include salt. For women the amount is 5g and for men 7g, recognising body sizes. This is inline with the recommendation for 6g a day, being the average of 5g and 7g. Children should have no more than 3g per day.
Active Kids Get Cooking 2007