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Silent Killer On Your Dinner Table

Wednesday 28 January 2004

Northern Ireland's top heart charity is warning that around a thousand people will die unnecessarily here in the coming year because they have eaten too much salt. Another 34,000 will die for the same reason in the rest of the UK.

Northern Ireland's top heart charity is warning that around a thousand people will die unnecessarily here in the coming year because they have eaten too much salt. Another 34,000 will die for the same reason in the rest of the UK.

But the Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke Association is accusing the Government and food producers of failing to help the public to do anything about it. Producers must cut unnecessary salt levels as a matter of urgency.

Salt raises blood pressure and increases the risk of heart attack or stroke. It has also been linked to stomach cancer, osteoporosis and kidney problems. Most of the salt we consume, however, is "hidden" in processed foods.

"A bowl of cornflakes, for example, has the same salt concentration as seawater," says Andrew Dougal, the charity's Chief Executive. "The problem is that the average person has no way of telling, simply by looking at the food label. It may list sodium, but to find the true salt content, you need to multiply the sodium level by two and a half."

A snap survey among MPs, health professionals and members of the public has found that, although people are aware that salt affects their health, more than eight out of ten find current salt labelling incomprehensible. The survey was carried out by CASH (Consensus Action on Salt and Health), a pressure group of medical specialists.

Said Mr Dougal: "The best medical advice is for adults to eat no more than 6 grams of salt each day, and for children to eat only half of that. The biggest problem is that children tend to consume even more processed food than their parents, in the form of crisps, pre-prepared snacks, and tinned produce. Even commercially produced bread, which is regarded as a healthy food, contains half the salt of seawater."

CASH and the Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke Association want the Government and food manufacturers to introduce much clearer and simpler labelling. The Co-op was the first supermarket to lead the way, by indicating low, medium or high levels of fat, sugar and salt on its own-brand packaging.

As the campaign continues to persuade food producers to reduce the amount of salt they add to their products, people can take some simple steps to protect themselves:
<ul><li>Don't add salt at the table - use other flavourings like herbs and spices (but not soy sauce)
<li> If you have time, bake your own bread
<li> Make your own stock instead of using stock cubes
<li> When buying tinned vegetables, go for brands with no added salt
<li> Avoid crisps and salted peanuts
<li> Go easy on bacon, sausages, and takeaway foods
<li> Check food labels. Anything with less than 0.2 grams of sodium per hundred grams is okay. Food containing more than half a gram of sodium per hundred grams should be avoided.</ul>

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