Salt regulation in food looms

Image: Carlos Porto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Concerned Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi says that the Health Department will be taking on the salt dietary issue in a major way.

The South African diet is generally high in salt content, with an average intake of 7.8 grams per day in black people, 8.5 grams per day in mixed races and 9.8 grams per day in whites.

"Contrary to many people's belief, most salt intake is in processed food rather than added to it. This means that we need a combination of public education to encourage people to reduce the salt they add, but also regulate the food industry to reduce the salt content of processed foods.

"We could allow salt reduction to be done through self-regulation by the industry, but I think it will be far more effective if we regulate the amounts of salt that are acceptable in different foodstuffs," Motsoaledi said at the Non-communicable Diseases Summit on Monday, 12 September 2011.

The desired amount is around 4-6 grams per day. High dietary salt intake is estimated to cause about a third of all hypertension cases. It is also responsible for illnesses including stroke and kidney disease.

Food stuff with high salt content and would warrant monitoring include bread, spices, cereals and salty snacks.

According to a South African study, the number of deaths that can be averted by reducing salt content just in bread is around 6 500 per year.

The regulation on salt follows the recent approval of the trans fats regulations, where manufactures are expected to reduce the amount of fats in food.

Motsoaledi said manufacturers have been given a grace period to adapt to the new trans fats laws.

"The implementation date has just passed and the time has come for us to ensure that the law is being implemented. We are confident that this legislation will play an important role in reducing the incidence of non-communicable diseases," Motsoaledi said, warning that manufacturers who failed to comply would be given a fine.