13/05/2010

The Minister for Health and Social Policy and the President of AESAN, during the presentation of the Action Plan for Reducing Salt Intake.

The Ministry for Health and Social Policy presents the Action Plan for Reducing Salt Intake to mark World Hypertension Day

• A public awareness campaign will be launched, with the distribution of leaflets, press releases and information on the AESAN website.
• An agreement with the food and distribution (own brand) industries to reduce salt content by 5% per year from 2010 – 2014, as well as with the catering sector and school meals providers.
• High blood pressure (hypertension) is responsible for more than 50% of cardiovascular disease and 45% of coronary heart disease, affecting 35% of the Spanish population (10 Million people).
• Reducing salt intake, from 9.8 g per person per day to 5 g per person would result in 20,000 fewer strokes and 30,000 fewer cardiac events every year.

The Ministry for Health and Social Policy has set itself the target of reducing the salt intake of the Spanish population as one of the most effective ways of combating hypertension. To do this they aim to reduce salt content in foodstuffs by 20% over four years (2010-2014).

High blood pressure affects 10 million people in this country, some 35% of the population, although the percentage is as high as 68% in those over 65. Research shows that a reduction in salt intake from the current 9.8 g per person per day, according to research carried out by the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN), to 5 g, the target figure set by the WHO, could reduce strokes by 20,000 and cardiac events by 30,000 every year. In the European Union it is calculated that these illnesses represented a cost of 192,000 million euros in 2006 alone.

In order to reach these targets, the Ministry for Health and Social Policy is finalising a series of agreements with the food industry for the reduction of salt content in processed foods. Initiatives are already underway with the catering sector, and they are also working with regional governments so that these measures can be applied to school meals.

In addition, a public awareness campaign will be launched, with the distribution of leaflets, press releases and information on the AESAN website, which was presented by the Minister for Health and Social Policy, Trinidad Jiménez. As part of the campaign, 100,000 copies of the leaflet Plan for reducing salt intake. Less salt more health are to be distributed, and it will also be sent to regional governments. The AESAN website (www.aesan.msps.es) will also give details of any current initiatives.

HOW MUCH SALT DO WE CONSUME?

The average Spaniard consumes 9.8 g of salt every day, almost twice the amount recommended by the WHO. These data are taken from the first scientific study carried out in Spain in this field, in collaboration with Madrid’s Universidad Complutense (Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Nutrition).

As part of this research, urine from a 24-hour period was analysed from a sample group of 406 people between the ages of 18 and 60, who were selected statistically from 15 Spanish provinces, from urban and rural areas (Albacete, Barcelona, Cáceres, Cádiz, Logroño, Lugo, Madrid, Málaga, Murcia, Oviedo, Salamanca, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Soria, Vizcaya and Zaragoza). The study also revealed that 87% of the population consumes more than 5 g of salt a day.

In addition, in a study carried out jointly with the OCU (Organisation of Consumers and Users) more than 1,200 samples taken from different categories of foods commonly eaten in Spain were analysed in order to ascertain their salt content, including own brand products. The results show that only 20% of salt is added by the consumer (at the table or during cooking). The remaining 75% is known as hidden salt, and it is found in processed foods and food consumed outside of the home, and over which the consumer has little control. For this reason it is important that an agreement can be reached with the industry to lower the salt content in processed foods.

To give an example of what can be achieved, the bakery sector has surpassed the targets set by substantially reducing the salt content of bread by 26.4% in four years, a significant success given the importance of bread in the daily diet and its high sodium value. Moreover, this initiative has been implemented without the population noticing any change, meaning that tastes were successfully adapted, which is important if we are to gradually move towards less salty foods.

SPANISH PRESIDENCY

These measures will be more effective if they are implemented within the framework of the European Union, since there is free circulation of foodstuffs between EU countries, and many companies are international in character. For this reason, the Spanish Presidency has proposed measures to be implemented by all Member States in order to reduce salt intake in the European population, which it hopes will be approved by the Council of European Health Ministers in June.

Para lograr estos objetivos, el Ministerio de Sanidad y Política Social está ultimando una serie de acuerdos con la industria alimentaria para la reducción del contenido de sal en los productos elaborados. Están en marcha ya iniciativas con el sector de la restauración y se trabaja también con las Comunidades Autónomas para aplicar estas medidas en los comedores escolares.

Asimismo, se pondrá en marcha una campaña de información a los ciudadanos, con la distribución de folletos, inserciones en prensa e información en la web de la AESAN, que ha presentado la ministra de Sanidad y Política Social, Trinidad Jiménez. En la campaña se  prevé distribuir 100.000 ejemplares del folleto Plan de reducción del consumo de sal. Menos sal es más salud, que será, además, facilitado a las Comunidades Autónomas. La página web de la Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (www.aesan.msps.es) también informará puntualmente de las iniciativas en marcha.

CUÁNTA SAL TOMAMOS

Los españoles ingerimos una media de 9,8 gramos de sal por persona al día, casi el doble de lo que la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) considera recomendable. Estos datos han sido obtenidos por el primer estudio científico que se ha realizado en España en este campo, realizado en colaboración con la Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Departamento de Nutrición de la Facultad de Farmacia).

Para ello se analizó la orina durante 24 horas en un universo de 406 personas entre 18 y 60 años, seleccionados estadísticamente en 15 provincias españolas, en zonas urbanas y rurales (Albacete, Barcelona, Cáceres, Cádiz, Logroño, Lugo, Madrid, Málaga, Murcia, Oviedo, Salamanca, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Soria, Vizcaya y Zaragoza). Gracias a este estudio se ha podido saber, también, que 87% de la población ingiere más de 5 gramos de sal al día.

Asimismo, se analizaron, en un estudio realizado en colaboración con la OCU (Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios) más de 1.200 muestras correspondientes a las diferentes categorías de alimentos que componen la dieta habitual de los españoles para conocer su contenido en sal, incluyendo marcas de distribución. El resultado es que sólo el 20% de la sal es añadida por el consumidor (salero o durante el cocinado). El 75% es lo que se conoce como sal oculta, y está en los alimentos procesados o consumidos fuera del hogar, y sobre los cuales el consumidor tiene poca capacidad de actuación. Por ello es importante el acuerdo con la industria para rebajar su contenido en los alimentos procesados.

Por poner un ejemplo de los logros que se pueden alcanzar, con el sector de la panadería se ha logrado, en cuatro años, superar los objetivos previstos al lograr una reducción sustanciosa de la sal contenida en el pan en un 26,4%, un éxito importante dada la importancia que tiene el pan para la dieta diaria y su alto aporte de sodio. Esta iniciativa, además, se ha hecho sin que la población perciba dicha reducción en el paladar, con lo que se ha logrado adaptar el gusto, algo importante para lograr una adaptación paulatina a comidas menos saladas.

PRESIDENCIA ESPAÑOLA

Estas medidas serán más afectivas si se realizan en el marco de la Unión Europea, al existir libre circulación de alimentos entre los países de la UE y ser, muchas de las empresas, de carácter internacional. Por ello, la Presidencia española ha propuesto a los demás Estados Miembro de la UE unas conclusiones del destinadas a llevar a cabo acciones para reducir el consumo de sal en la población europea, que se espera sean aprobadas por el Consejo de Ministros de Sanidad  europeos en junio.

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