Transcript Sodium 101 - Food & Consumer Products of Canada

SODIUM 101
August 2011
What is sodium?
• Sodium is an naturally occurring element.
• Humans need sodium to survive.
• Salt, the most common source of sodium, is composed of
39% sodium and 61% chloride.
• 1 teaspoon of salt is equal to 2300mg of sodium.
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Where does the sodium
come from?
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Naturally found in certain foods (e.g. fruits & vegetables, dairy and meat).
Added to pre-packaged, home-made and restaurant foods and beverages for:
– Preservation
• binds with water and inhibits the growth of micro-organisms like listeria
and E-coli.
– Functionality
• Essential for fermentation of certain foods like pickles; can affect
texture and solubility of proteins in meats, cheese and poultry; and be
a vehicle of nutrients for human nutrition (iodide, fluoride, iron or
vitamins).
– Taste
• Not only contributes to the salty taste that humans inherently like but
also to other taste profiles like sweet, sour, bitter and umami. For
example, salt reduces the bitterness of pure cocoa.
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Global reduction strategies
• Many countries have started reduction strategies to limit sodium intakes in
their population.
Timelines of Sodium Reduction Progress in Finland/UK
versus Canada's projected goal
6000
Avg sodium intake (mg)
5000
4000
Finland
UK
Canada
3000
2000
1000
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30 years
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20 years
10 years
5 years
# of years of sodium reduction strategy
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UK
• In 2003, a multi-pronged voluntary reduction strategy was initiated to
bring the average salt intake from 9.5g to 6 g of salt per day. This
corresponds to 3,800mg to 2400mg of sodium per day.
• After five years, an average 0.9g reduction per person/day was
achieved (360mg of sodium).
• In 2011, food companies and public health officials signed a Public
Health Responsibility Deal to lower salt by 1g in 3 years.
• After almost a decade of reduction, the UK will only be roughly halfway
to their goal of 6g of salt per day.
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Finland
• Commenced sodium reduction efforts in 1978 and by 2002
had demonstrated a 3g reduction in average population
intake (from 12 to 9g/person per day).
• Included voluntary cooperation with the food industry,
mass media campaigns and education.
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Canada
• In July 2010, the Multi-stakeholder Working Group on Sodium
released their report which recommended a three pronged strategy to
reduce sodium in the diet of Canadians.
• The prongs include a public awareness campaign & education,
voluntary salt reduction by food industry and monitoring & evaluation.
• The working group recommended a target of 2300mg of sodium per
person/day by 2016.
• The working group was made up of health focused NGOs, health
professionals, government and food industry partners, including
FCPC.
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What industry has done and
is doing?
– The Canadian food and beverage industry is committed to and
supports the approach recommended by the Multi-stakeholder
Working Group on Sodium Reduction. We believe the threepronged, multi-staged approach demonstrates global leadership
and is the right one to reduce Canadians’ daily intake of sodium.
– FCPC members are committed to reducing sodium in the food
supply in support of this initiative.
– Manufacturers are engaged in the process and have already
started reducing sodium in products, even before the strategy was
released.
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What food industry has done
and is doing?
• Sodium levels in pre-packaged foods have been on the
decline for years while efforts to educate consumers on
the benefits of switching to low-sodium options have
increased.
• According to FCPC’s Health and Wellness report (2010)
over 1000 products have been reformulated to be lower in
sodium and new reduced or low sodium products are
being introduced everyday.
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Why can’t it just be
removed?
• Even small reductions in sodium from foods and beverages can result
in significant changes in taste and texture of products.
• Scientific studies and real-life experiences have shown that gradual
reduction in sodium can reduce and/or minimize taste and textural
changes. Thus, increasing consumer acceptability and likelihood of
success of any reduction initiative.
• This is why FCPC support a gradual stepwise reduction in sodium.
• The UK experience demonstrates the real challenge of sodium
reduction.
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Why can’t it just be
removed?
• There is no one substitute for salt.
• As stated before, salt plays many roles in foods and beverages.
• For these reason, investments in time and resources are required to
explore alternative ingredients, cooking and preservation methods to
reduce salt.
• In some cases, reduction is limited because of the identity of the food
(e.g. pickles, some breads and cheese) and safety concerns (some
meats).
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