Food industry falls short on salt reduction

Sunday, 17 August. For most men, it’s just another summer day. But according to Foodwatch, it's Salt Max Day, the point at which men aged 18 to 50 have already used up their yearly salt allowance. And that’s early, with over four months still to go.

Salt mainly found in ready meals and packaged foods

On average, adult men consume 8 grams of salt per day. That’s 60% above the limit recommended by the World Health Organization: 5 grams per day. The Dutch Health Council and the Nutrition Centre work with a guideline of 6 grams, but even that is exceeded by most men.

Salt is essential for the body: sodium helps regulate fluid balance, blood pressure, muscles and nerve function. But too much comes with a price. High blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, stomach cancer: all risks that increase with higher intake. And the numbers reflect that reality. According to the Dutch Heart Foundation, 1.7 million people in the Netherlands now live with a chronic heart or vascular condition. Back in 2020, that figure was 1.55 million.

What makes it worse: 85% of this salt comes from processed foods. Packets, jars, bread, snacks, sauces, all contain added salt. Hardly any is added at home anymore. Between 2007 and 2010, 79% of salt intake came from processed products. That figure now stands at 85%.

Slow movement from producers, little real progress

Average salt consumption in the Netherlands dropped from 7.3 to 6.6 grams per day. That may sound promising, but it’s just 0.7 grams. In reality, we’re still eating far more salt than is considered healthy. The WHO had called on countries to reduce salt consumption by 30% by 2025. The Netherlands is nowhere near that target.

The drop in added salt from food products is even smaller: from 6 grams to 5.6 grams a day. That’s about a fifth of a teaspoon less. According to Foodwatch, producers are doing next to nothing to seriously cut salt levels. Despite a range of voluntary agreements between government and industry, such as the Agreement on Product Improvement and the National Approach to Product Improvement (NAPV), the real impact is still missing. Wageningen University & Research already concluded in 2023 that the NAPV has yet to play a leading role in the reformulation of food products in the Netherlands.

Foodwatch: introduce legal limits

Foodwatch is calling for legally binding salt limits. Because it’s not just men, all adults in the Netherlands consume more salt than is healthy. Even children exceed their own, lower limits. Every child under the age of 12 also has a Salt Max Day. Their message is clear: independent, enforceable maximum levels for salt. No more voluntary commitments, and no more delays.

Foodwatch.org