As reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the world is not on pace to meet its worldwide aim of lowering salt intake by 30 percent by 2025. Just 5 percent of WHO member countries have compulsory and comprehensive salt reduction strategies in place, with 73 percent failing to fully implement such policies.
Just nine countries have a complete package of suggested sodium-reduction programs. As noted by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, poor diets are a primary reason for death and illness worldwide, with a high salt intake being one of the main reasons.
Sodium reduction is an essential component of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of lowering fatalities from noncommunicable illnesses.
WHO encourages all governments and food producers to follow its sodium content guidelines. The report emphasizes the need for countries to implement obligatory legislation and the WHO’s four “best buy” programs to holistically reduce salt intake.
Reformulating foods to include less salt, setting objectives for the amount of sodium in foods and meals, adopting public food procurement rules to restrict salt or sodium-rich foods in public institutions, and front-of-package labeling to assist customers in selecting products lower in sodium are all examples of interventions.
Mandatory salt reduction programs are more successful because they accomplish larger coverage and protect against business interests while giving food makers a fair playing field.
The average global salt intake is reported to be 10.8 grams per day, more than twice the WHO guideline of less than five grams per day. The organization urges member nations to implement sodium intake reduction strategies as soon as possible to offset the negative consequences of excessive salt consumption.
