By Julia Medew
LEADING bread and cereal manufacturers have agreed to reduce the sodium content of their products in response to rising concern about Australians' high salt intake and heart disease.
Parliamentary secretary for health Mark Butler told The Age yesterday that George Weston Foods, Goodman Fielder Baking, Allied Mills and Cripps Nubake, as well as Woolworths, Coles and ALDI, had agreed to reduce sodium in bread products to 400 milligrams per 100 grams by the end of 2013.
Other manufacturers of cereals, including Kelloggs, Sanitarium, and Cereal Partners Worldwide, have also agreed to reduce the sodium content of products by 15 per cent over four years, he said.
Mr Butler said that together, the groups represented more than 80 per cent of the market share for bread products and about 60 per cent of the market share for ready-to-eat breakfast cereals.
“These agreed targets give industry a level playing field and certainty on expectations,” he said.
The agreement follows many calls from health experts for "salt targets" because of its links to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.
An Australian study recently showed that more than 70 per cent of processed meats, cheeses and sauces contained unacceptably high sodium levels.
While sauces and spreads contained the highest sodium content, averaging 1.3 grams per 100 grams, breads and cereals were among the worst offenders when looking at foods as a proportion of the average Australian diet. Half a gram of salt per 100 grams is considered too high.
Professor Garry Jennings from the heart and diabetes institute, Baker IDI, said the new targets were a welcome first step in the battle to reduce Australians' salt intake, but said more should be done to bring restaurants and fast-food outlets on board.
Professor Jennings said it was also important for the government to monitor and evaluate the new targets to ensure manufacturers and retailers complied with the agreement.