Australian experts have called for forced restrictions on the amount of salt in foods

Concerned about the impact of salt on people’s health, Australian experts are calling for mandatory maximum salt limits in food. Australians are consuming nearly double the recommended daily salt intake, they say, but a new report says individual choices aren’t always to blame.

There are calls to enforce limits on the amount of salt in certain foods as the country’s salt intake far exceeds recommended levels, but poor choices are not always to blame, reports the Australian Associated Press.

According to a report from the Grattan Institute, the average Australian consumes almost double (1.9 times) the recommended daily intake of salt, costing the health system $10 billion a year.

However, the Sneaky Salt report said blaming individuals for poor food choices does not make sense as many external factors push people towards certain foods and away from others.

Three-quarters of the country’s salt consumption comes from food production, prompting the think tank to call on the government to introduce restrictions on salt use.

Voluntary limits on the amount of salt in bread and sausages were introduced in 2009, but they were poorly designed and implemented, the report says.

The report calls on Australia’s federal and state governments to introduce some mandatory salt intake limits, increase the types of foods subject to restrictions and measure the salt content of food from bakeries and fast food restaurants.

This also raises the possibility of exploring whether salt should be fortified with potassium, since this mineral can make food taste saltier.

Salt raises blood pressure and is linked to serious health conditions, including hypertension, heart disease, some cancers and stroke, the Australian Associated Press notes.

About 2500 Australians die each year from salt-related illnesses, but the report claims the nation could collectively live another 36,000 years over the next two decades by cutting back on consumption.

The report also claims it would prevent 6,000 hospital visits and 300 deaths a year.

“What we eat makes us sicker,” says Peter Breadon, director of the Grattan Institute’s health program.

“If we don’t improve our diet, we won’t improve our health,” Bradon said. “Our report shows how we can improve our diets and our health quickly and inexpensively – without us even noticing any difference in the taste of our food.”

Numerous studies have shown that more intensive efforts targeting retailers and the food industry are needed to limit the population’s salt intake.

The study, published earlier in the European Journal of Nutrition in July, found that a statewide initiative in Victoria aimed at reducing salt intake in adults over a four-year period, partly by increasing consumer awareness and changing consumption behavior, was not delivering results.

The study recommended improved food labeling and mandatory food reformulation as measures needed to influence salt intake.

There is also growing concern about the impact on children. On average, almost 40% of an Australian child’s daily energy intake comes from so-called “diet foods”, which are highly processed foods with little or no nutritional value and high in salt, sugar or trans fat.