WHO publish guidance on accelerating salt reduction in Europe

Excessive consumption of salt, more than around 5g per day, may raise blood pressure, which is a major risk factor in cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke. The World Health Organization (WHO) report that many countries in Europe have initiated national salt reduction strategies, including public awareness campaigns, reformulation and front-of-pack nutrition labelling. However, despite these ongoing efforts, surveillance data indicate that salt intake still exceeds the limits recommended to protect health.

The WHO Regional Office for Europe has produced a country support package, which aims to support the development of effective national salt reduction programmes and surveillance collection. Countries throughout the region can use this document to either accelerate existing efforts to reduce salt intake, or begin new policies and interventions.

Source: WHO European Region, July 2020