• About FDF
• Our Priorities
• Members list
• News
  • Latest News
  • Hot Issues
  • Industry Newsfeed
  • Media Enquiries
  • Speeches and Presentations
  • The Voice
• Policy Briefings
• FDF Responses
• The Industry
• Events
• Publications
• Campaigns
• FAQs
• Polls

Salt

Salt reduction is a priority for the industry as part of its ongoing efforts to reformulate products where technologically possible, safe and acceptable for consumers. Industry's efforts have been praised by the FSA, the Government and others, and we are seen to be leading the world on this issue.

Industry's salt reductions to date include:

• Bread: sodium levels have reduced by around 37% since the late 1980s.

• Breakfast cereals: achieved a 49% reduction in the salt levels of branded breakfast cereals since 1998. Just 2.8% of UK sodium consumption now comes from breakfast cereals.

• Biscuits and cakes:Since the start of 2006, salt reductions of between 16% and 50% have been achieved. This is in addition to the 20% - 40% reductions that had previously been achieved.

• Meat products: the industry has made significant progress towards achieving the action plan which it launched in June 2004 to bring about further sodium reductions.

• Savoury snacks : Members of SNACMA have reduced salt by 46% in crisps, 32% in extruded snacks and 27% in pelleted snacks

• Soups and meal sauces (ambient): Project Neptune, a partnership between industry and the FSA, completed a three-year action plan on salt reduction in August 2006. On average, meal sauces achieved an overall reduction of 28.8% and soups an overall reduction of 24.5%. Although this partnership has ended, companies are continuing salt reduction work independently in order to comply with FSA targets

Salt Labelling

The industry is introducing some of the most open and honest labelling in Europe. Industry not only clearly labels the legally required sodium levels on food, but additionally labels salt equivalents on the back of pack. Many manufacturers are also putting this information on the front of pack as part of Guideline Daily Amount labelling.

As of February 2011, 94 companies of all sizes have now started using GDA labelling on a voluntary basis – and in a consistent way – on the front of more than 20,000 lines. We estimate that the GDA scheme now features on more than 50% of food and drink packs sold by UK retailers.

You can find a wealth of information on our Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) website.

More Information

• FDF press release: Salt reduction: New food recipes are making a difference for consumers – 29 January 2010
• FDF policy on salt
• FDF leaflet – The Facts: Salt Reduction - pdf | 235kb