FSA to continue Salt Awareness Campaign

 

 

A series of 10 second adverts will be run on television throughout this summer by the Food Standards Agency.  It's aim is to make the public aware of salt intake and to promote healthy life choices.

 

The adverts will be aired from July 10th throughout the summer, until October 2006 and will run in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  It is similiar, but shorter than the version the FSA used in 2005 but features many packaged foods that have been animated to point out how much salt they actually contain.  There is a third phase of its salt campaign being developed and this is scheduled for launch in Spring 2007. 

 

The advert's aim is to encourage the public to 'eat no more than 6g of salt per day' and the 'check the labels for lower salt products'.

 

The target audience is that of women, aged 25-54 inthe C2DE catagories. 

 

Scientific experts agree that excessive salt consumption increases the risk of high blood pressure which then increases the chances of cardiovascular disease and stroke. People with high blood pressure are 3 times more likely to have a stroke or develop heart disease than people with normal blood pressure.

 

Did you know that research showed that the average salt consumption in 2000/01 for adults was a whopping 9.5g per day - men consuming 11g and women 7.8g

 

Therefore, the advertising campaign is aimed at encouraging people to reduce their salt intake by 'checking the labels on packaged foods' and to recommend a salt consumption of no more than 6g a day.

 

A massive 75% of the salt we consume comes from processed foods - breakfast cereals, soups, sauces, breads and ready meals. 

 

As salt is often listed on food labels as sodium, it is difficult to tell how much salt is in a product.  However, if you mulitply the sodium content by 2.5, you'll end up with the salt content.  Get it?

 

The Food Standard Agency says this:

 

This is a LOT of salt:

1.25g salt or more per 100g

0.5g sodium or more per 100g   

 

This is a LITTLE salt:

 

0.25g salt or less per 100g

0.1g sodium or less per 100g