2012
November
- Canada -NDP health critic tables bill for national sodium strategy (5th November 2012)
- WCRF - on WHO Global Monitoring Framework - tracking progress on NCD prevention and control (November 2012)
- American Heart Association reaffirms its 2011 sodium reduction advise to limit sodium consumption to <1,500mg per day (November 2012)
October
- Joint Statement on the WHO Global Monitoring Framework and Targets (October 2012)
- CASH Comment - Hybrid Food Labelling (24th October 2012)
- Lancet comment on NCDs - One goal and five targets (14th October 2012)
September
- Marketing to children, salt reduction and reformulation top WHO regulatory priorities for food in Europe (21st September 2012)
- US - New research - [PDF 898KB] Children eating as much salt as adults (17th September 2012)
- In first year, global fight against NCDs gathers momentum (14th September 2012)
- CASH survey reveals unnecessarily high levels of salt in bacon in the UK (13th September 2012)
July
- Tesco (UK) to commit to traffic light labels [PDF 431KB] (July 2012)
- Department of Health (UK) sets three new salt pledges, specifically focused on the catering sector (July 2012)
- New food technology report released (UK) - Further salt reductions are achievable (July 2012)
- Iran - Impact of a community-based lifestyle intervention program on BP and salt intake [PDF 285KB] (2012)
- Iran - new paper published - Advocacy strategies and action plans for reducing salt intake in Iran [PDF 1,611KB] (2012)
June
- WASH press release - UK leading the world in salt reduction (21st June 2012)
- England - Department of Health publishes new salt intake data (21st June 2012)
- Health Canada releases guidance document for the food industry on reducing sodium in processed foods. (June 2012)
- New CASH survey - Dangerously high levels of salt in kid's meals
- WASH Newsletter out now. Click here to read [PDF 1,061KB]
- click here [PDF 1,436KB]
- All 193 UN Member States commit to a 25% reduction in NCDs by 2025 at the 65th World Health Assembly
May
- WHA Joint statement of the NHF, WASH, IASO, WCRF, WPHA & CI accepted [PDF 624KB] (May 2012)
- World Heath Assembly, Geneva 21-26th May 2012
- Global Health Observatory: World Health Statistics published (May 2012)
- WCRF: Spotlight on salt initiatives around the world
April
- FDA Urged to implement mandatory sodium reductions (24th April)
- Taxing salt and introducing voluntary targets across 19 countries could reduce CVD deaths by 3% [PDF 253KB]- Presentation from World Congress on Cardiology (23rd April)
- WHO consultation on 'The monitoring framework and targets for the control and prevention of NCDs' WASH comment (19th April)
- Worldwide variations in salt content of fast food from leading chains. (17th April)
- Salt intake a challenge for ageing populations (7th April)
March
- 'Less salt, more consumer information' WASH catches up with Consumers International during SAW (26th March)
- 'Take it with a pinch of salt? I would if I could' UK SAW Which? conversation with CASH (26th March)
February
UK -New Food Technology report - Further salt reductions are achievable
New food technology report in the UK shows further salt reductions are achievable CASH report finds product examples going ‘above and beyond’ current salt targets Further salt targets must now be set if the UK is to continue to lead the world and save the maximum number of lives Click here for CASH report Click here for Leatherhead Report Leatherhead food report provides food companies with valuable information to achieve the 2012 salt reduction targets and indicates that gradual reductions in the salt content of food, coupled with the use of potassium based salt or other ingredient based solutions, can be used to lower the salt content of all food in line with the Government’s recommendations. We hope this report will be useful to all WASH members who are looking to progress with salt reduction in their own country.Consensus Action on Salt & Health (CASH) have also simultaneously issued their own report, which strongly reinforces Leatherhead’s findings. Furthermore, the CASH report identifies specific product examples which not only meet the 2012 salt reduction targets in the UK, but go well below them. These findings clearly demonstrate that reducing salt intake to below the 2012 targets in the UK is achievable; if one leading company can meet the targets, so can all the rest. Both reports highlight the need for a level playing field and to ensure that future targets are set for the whole of the food industry, including food eaten outside the home. The UK is leading the world on salt reduction, using a strategy which is considered “the most successful nutrition policy since the Second World War” [Ref 1]. As a result the UK now has the lowest known salt intake of the developed world [Ref 2]. This success is largely due to the fact that the food industry in the UK has and will continue to lead the world in salt reduction, taking responsibility for reducing salt in their food and developing innovative solutions to enable them to meet the salt targets. Both reports highlight the need for a level playing field and to ensure that future targets are set for the whole of the food industry, including food eaten outside the home. The Department of Health must now go ahead with setting new salt targets to ensure that the UK continues to lead the world and save the maximum number of lives. The UK is fortunate to have some of the leading food companies in the world, and in collaboration with them we will reduce salt intake to a maximum of 6g per day. This will prevent 36,000 strokes and heart attacks every year, 18,000 of which would have been fatal, while also saving the NHS billions of pounds a year [Ref 3]” says Professor Graham MacGregor of the Wolfson Institute, and Chairman of CASH ##Ends## Ref 1 – Winkler JT (2012) BMJ 2012 344; e4465 Ref 2 –The mean estimated salt intake, derived from urinary sodium excretion, for adults aged 19 to 64 years was 8.1g per day, with men having a mean estimated intake of 9.3g per day and women having a mean estimated intake of 6.8g per dayhttp://transparency.dh.gov.uk/2012/06/21/sodium-levels-among-adults/ Ref 3 – NICE (National Insitiute for Health & Clinical Excellence) (2010). NICE Public Health Guidance 25: Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. NICE: London
Date added: Friday, July 13, 2012
WASH Comment on WHO 2nd discussion paper on the monitoring framework and targets for the prevention and control of NCDs
Date added: Thursday, April 19, 2012