Originally published August 15 2005
Saltier foods approved by the FSA
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Food Standards Agency has raised the permitted levels of salt in processed foods after food manufacturers said they could not meet new regulations for lowering the salt content.
ATTEMPTS to reduce the amount of salt in food - which has been linked to high blood pressure and heart disease - were scrapped after manufacturers told the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that they could not meet such targets.
Original targets proposed by the FSA could not be met due to "technical feasibility" and "consumer acceptability", involving products such as baked beans, pies, ham and bacon.
In an apparent move to accommodate the food firms and ensure targets were still met, the FSA then actually increased the proposed minimum levels of salt in several foods, including ketchup, soup and butter.
High salt intake has been linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure, which can lead to strokes and heart disease.
The document released by the FSA showed that the proposed salt level in ham and other cured meats was raised from 1.9g per 100g of food to 2.5g per 100g, following discussion with the industry.
A target of 0.5g per 100g of dried soup was increased to 0.7g per 100g after the industry insisted that the old target "would not pass consumer acceptability".
The industry also said a target of 1.5g of salt per 100g of tomato ketchup "would not be achievable", despite some reduced-salt ketchups already being at that level.
Professor Graham Mac- Gregor, from the Blood Pressure Unit at St George's Hospital, Tooting, in south London, and the chairman of CASH, said the reasons given by manufacturers were "rubbish".
He said: "The way we work is based on evidence.
Prof MacGregor said research had shown that 70,000 strokes and heart attacks (more than half of which are fatal) would be prevented if the average salt intake was reduced to 6g per day - a government target.
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