Unilever unveils ‘holistic’ salt reduction strategy

Unilever has announced the launch of a global salt reduction strategy across 22,000 of its food products.

By 2010, the company hopes to achieve a daily intake of 6g of salt per person – as recommended by the Food Standards Agency – and is targeting the World Health Organisation recommendation of a 5g maximum by 2015.“This is a unique approach as we are dealing with our portfolio in a holistic way in terms of daily dietary contribution, rather than only looking at the input of individual products or simply launching a lower salt range, explains Gert Meijer, Unilever vice president, nutrition and health.“We measure the contribution of our products to daily salt intake in the context of their role within a typical menu. For example, soup contributes 10% to the amount of salt in an average daily diet. Therefore, in order to meet our target for 2010, the salt in our soups would have to be reduced to 360mg of sodium per 100g – provided the rest of the diet is within reduced sodium parameters.
Unilever is reducing salt through recipe reformulations, salt replacers and enhancing a salty taste with aromas, herbs and spices.

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