Safe products with lower salt content

Reducing salt leads to huge health benefits

Salt in our diet is essential to life and for good health, but a too high intake can also have a negative impact on health. It is shown that the average salt intake exceeds the nutritional recommendations in many industrialised countries. A high-salt diet may lead to health issues such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke. Thus, food- and health authorities across the globe are recommending consumers to ingest less salt. The connection between cardiovascular diseases and salt intake was underlined by a British study running from 2003 to 2011. During the period the UK Department of Health launched its salt reduction program, which resulted in a significant  reduction in the average salt intake by 1.4 g per day. At the same time, there was a 42% reduction in the number of deaths from stroke and a 40% reduction in the number of deaths from heart disease.

Danish research shows that by lowering salt content by 3 grams per day, in the long term, would result in savings of 150-300 million EUR per year in expenses for treatment of coronary diseases – in addition, app. 1,000 deaths could be avoided.

Industry responsibility

Most of the salt consumed today comes from processed foods and only a minor part of the total salt intake comes from the use of household salt. In the US, more than 75% of the salt intake in an average American diet comes from processed food. Thus, the industry carries a large responsibility for adapting their recipes and production methods to accommodate a lower salt content, but also have to guarantee that their products are safe to eat.

Reducing salt while maintaining shelf life

Business-to-business purchasers make demands on producers to lower salt content, based on recommendations from authorities. However, at the same time have requirements for expected minimum shelf-life of the products purchased and it is a given that products are safe to eat. Previously, it has been very difficult to reduce salt, while guaranteeing a safe product with a long shelf-life, but through extensive research, this has now become much easier.

Innovative research

Royal Greenland has engaged in a long-running partnership with the National Food Institute at the Danish Technical University in developing methods for reducing salt in processed seafood while guaranteeing food safety – an added and welcome side effect being improved flavour. Read more about the project and results here.