***World Salt Awareness Week 10 – 16 March 2014***
Cutting the nation’s salt intake could prevent an estimated 5,800 Australian heart attacks, the National Heart Foundation of Australia said today during World Salt Awareness Week.
Research suggests that if we reduce our intake of salt from processed foods by just 15 per cent over 10 years, it would avert 5,800 heart attacks and 4,900 strokes a year.
The Heart Foundation CEO Graeme Lynch said eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
“Excessive salt consumption is a major killer and by cutting our salt intake we can prevent thousands of unnecessary deaths from heart disease and stroke,” Mr Lynch said.
“Australian adults are each eating 3.2 kg of salt every year, which is three times more than we need. Children also eat more than three times what they need – an alarming 2.2 kg each year.
“Most people are surprised to learn that about three quarters of the salt we eat comes from everyday supermarket foods rather than salt added at the table, which is why the Heart Foundation is running a campaign “Halt Hidden Salt” to get hidden salt out of everyday foods before they hit the supermarket shelves.”
One in three Australians aged 30-65, or around 3.5 million people, have been told by a doctor they have high blood pressure.
“The only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to ask your GP for a check up as there are no obvious signs or symptoms,” Mr Lynch added.
The average Australian eats around nine grams of salt a day (around one and a half teaspoons), far in excess of the Heart Foundation’s recommended maximum of six grams (one teaspoon) for healthy Australians and four grams (two-thirds of teaspoon) for people with existing high blood pressure or heart disease.
The Heart Foundation is calling on the federal government to commit to a National Action Plan on Salt that includes:
• Increased funding and support to boost food reformulation (via the Food & Health Dialogue) – to get more salt out of more food, more quickly
• Set mandatory targets (instead of voluntary) for the amount of salt in all processed and takeaway foods – so all our food is healthier, not just some
• Implementation of the new star rating food labelling system on all processed foods – to help people identify healthier foods at-a-glance and encourage food companies to make healthier products
• Community education – to help people understand the health impacts of eating too much salt and that most of the salt we consume is hidden in the processed foods we eat; like bread, breakfast cereals, processed meats, cheese, sauces and spreads.
Join our campaign to get this hidden killer out of our food, show you care about our food being made healthier – visit www.heartfoundation.org.au/halthiddensalt. Join us and together we can Halt Hidden Salt,
The Heart Foundation CEO Graeme Lynch
