Vlaardingen, 21 April 2009.– In the next few years, Unilever is going to undertake a worldwide effort to reduce the salt content of almost its entire food portfolio, covering 22,000 products.
Unilever’s aim is to reduce the salt content of its products by the end of 2010 to help people reach the daily recommended dietary intake of 6 grams salt per person. A further reduction would even make it possible to limit salt intake to 5 grams per person by the end of 2015.
This is in line with World Health Organisation guidelines. Unilever is the first food company that sets worldwide goals for salt reduction across its entire product range. These targets were announced today by Gaby Vreeken, Vice President Marketing of Unilever Benelux, at a press conference in the Unilever Research & Development Centre in Vlaardingen.
“Promoting a lower salt intake fits in with Unilever’s Vitality mission. It is an ambitious plan, but it can be done and really must be done. The challenge lies in achieving these results without compromising on flavour, quality and shelf life of our products. Approximately 75% of total salt intake comes from processed foods such as bread, cheese, meat, sauces and soups. Consumers will be more likely to adapt their taste preference to lower levels of salt if the food industry as a whole reduces salt levels”, says Vreeken.
High blood pressure
An estimated quarter of all people worldwide suffer from high blood pressure. Recent research has shown that reducing the current salt intake by a quarter to a third could prevent an equal percentage of cardiovascular diseases. In the long term this could reduce the number of related deaths by one fifth.
Gert Meijer, Unilever Vice President Nutrition and Health: “Our approach is special in that we do not merely look at the salt content of our products; we also consider their daily dietary contribution, by looking at how often people eat certain products. For example, eating soup accounts for 10% of the salt intake. If we want to reach a maximum of 6 grams per day, our soups may contain no more than an average of 360 mg sodium per 100 grams in 2010.”
Online salt test
In addition to reducing salt in its products, Unilever also intends to inform its consumers about the consequences of eating too much salt. That is why an online salt test is being launched in Belgium and the Netherlands today, which helps to give people a rough idea of their salt intake. Unilever has already asked over 1,000 consumers to fill out the salt test.
The online questionnaire has shown that 61% of the respondents in the Netherlands (71% in Belgium) eat too much salt (more than 6 grams per day) of whom 21% in the Netherlands (30% in Belgium) eat even more than 9 grams. Through the salt test Unilever also wants to provide more background information about the health aspects of salt. Additionally, the company wants to further extend its product range bearing the Choices logo.
9100 tons of salt removed
The salt reduction targets are part of Unilever’s Nutrition Enhancement Programme (NEP), through which it already removed 9,100,000 kilos of salt from its products. Cup-a-Soup, Unox soup in pouches and Knorr meal kits are the products from which much salt has been removed so far. In addition, Unilever Benelux introduced Blue Band Goede Start! Bread, which contains 38% less salt than wholemeal bread.
Unilever is removing salt from products through recipe reformulations. Other ingredients are used such as aromas, herbs and spices. In addition, Unilever’s research laboratory in Vlaardingen is always looking for innovative solutions to fulfil the role of salt in extending the shelf life and enhancing the structure of products.