Brussels, 09/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - At their meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday 8 June, European food ministers recommended the adoption of measures to encourage people to eat less salt in order to improve their health. “There is strong scientific evidence that the current high consumption of salt throughout Europe is a major factor increasing blood pressure and thereby cardiovascular diseases”. The scientific opinions issued by the European Food Safety Authority show that most Europeans daily salt intake (8 to 11 grammes of salt) is well above the recommended daily intake (4 to 5 grammes of salt).
According to the European Cardiovascular Disease Statistics 2008 report, cardiovascular disease accounts for almost half of all deaths in the European Union (42%), killing more than 2 million people a year in the EU, and the total cost of cardiovascular disease in the EU stood at €192 billion in 2006. High systolic blood pressure, for example, is a form of cardiovascular disease that causes 51% of all heart attacks and 45% of deaths by heart attack.
In its conclusions document, the Council calls on member states to beef up their national nutrition policies, and to introduce public awareness programmes to reduce salt intake in the general population (if they have not already done so), introducing policies taking the long view. In order to reduce Europeans' salt intake to recommended levels, the member states need to: - set realistic targets aligned with current salt intake in their country when the policies are drawn up and set reasonable timelines for achieving reductions in salt intake; - raise awareness in the population about the health benefits of lower salt intake and how people can reduce their salt intake; - encourage healthcare professionals to provide information proving why the salt content of food should be reduced; - encourage food manufacturers and suppliers to re-formulate products to reduce the salt content of food and ready meals; - collate relevant and comparable information about people's salt intake and the salt content of typical food eaten in the country of question, monitoring changes in national policy; - contribute to the European dimension of measures taken at national level to encourage people to reduce their salt intake.
The European Commission is invited to continue the systematic approach used to reduce salt intake at EU level, in other words implement the European salt intake reduction programme taking into account the work of the relevant international bodies, like the World Health Organisation. The Commission is also requested to: - provide firm and constant backing for member states' work in this domain, strengthening or supporting national initiatives to reduce salt intake or introducing such initiatives; - work regularly with the member states to draw up a list of the lowest salt or sodium-containing foods at EU levels in various categories and sub-categories; - define mechanisms and instruments to encourage the food industry to continue to reduce the salt content of foodstuffs; give regular report-backs on progress in implementing the European salt intake reduction programme. Progress reports should examine the outcome of talks and meetings with companies that trade in more than one country and with European trade bodies, including an assessment of measures taken by the various stakeholders in the wake of these talks. The reports should measure the impact of action at EU level and action reported by the member states, assessing the situation and action at EU and national level. The results should be published in 2012. (L.C./transl.fl)