Are voluntary salt reduction initiatives enough to improve Australia’s health?

The National Heart Foundation of Australia has called on the government to implement a National Action Plan on Salt, claiming that current voluntary salt reduction targets aren’t effective enough. The Foundation is urging the government to set mandatory salt reduction targets in addition to the star-rating labelling system.

However, industry is already taking action to reduce salt consumption, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) says. Voluntary initiatives such as the Food and Health Dialogue and the Healthier Australia Commitment have led to manufacturers and retailers reducing sodium in food, the AFGC said.

In addition, manufacturers already fully disclose the sodium content of their products through the Nutrient Information Panel and the Daily Intake Guide, which enables consumers to make an informed choice about what they choose to purchase, AFGC CEO Gary Dawson said.

“Tackling the multi-factorial nature of non-communicable diseases needs a collaborative partnership approach to provide consumers meaningful information to assist healthy lifestyle choices,” said Dawson. “Industry supports the effort to reduce sodium consumption, but any proposal to remove information from consumers that enables them to choose low salt foods is counterproductive.”

The Heart Foundation says that, while these voluntary initiatives have had some impact, not all companies have taken action to reduce salt in their products.

“Gradually over time we’ve been helping make our supermarket foods healthier by working with industry to reduce this hidden killer,” said Dr Rob Grenfell, Heart Foundation National Director of Cardiovascular Health.

“While some of Australia’s food manufacturers have made huge strides in reducing salt content in our foods and should be commended, if we’re serious about improving our nation’s health we need both government and industry to step up action and do more.”

The Heart Foundation’s proposed four-point National Action Plan on Salt includes:

• Increasing funding and support to boost food reformulation via the Food and Health Dialogue
• Setting mandatory targets (instead of voluntary) for the amount of salt in all processed and takeaway foods
• Implementing the new star-rating food labelling system on all processed foods
• Increasing community education to help people understand the health impacts of eating too much salt and how to make healthier choices.