The Euroregion has made great progress in implementing the guidelines to reduce sodium intake in the population. However, according to a new report of the World Health Organization (WHO) only 3 Member States – Czech Republic, Lithuania and Spain – fully implemented the recommendations. Worldwide, 194-_ Member States to reduce total population intake by almost a third by 2030.However, WHO data show that global efforts are insufficient to achieve this goal.
Despite decades of research linking excessive sodium intake to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and premature death, global intake is on average more than double the WHO recommendation of less than 5 grams (1 teaspoon) salt estimated daily. The results of a systematic review published in September 2022 in the journal Public Health Nutrition support that salt intake in the throughout the WHO European Region consistently exceeded these recommended values. However, there was a pronounced east-west gradient: salt intake was generally higher in Eastern European countries than in Western and Northern countries.
At present, a majority (47-_% or %25) of the Member States of the Euroregion has a «WHO Sodium Country Score» of 3. This means that they have introduced at least 1 mandatory directive and nutrition labelling for sodium on packaged foods.
In particular, 14 Countries (Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Uzbekistan) introduced mandatory limits on sodium content in food, while 14 Countries (Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom) have implemented public guidelines for food procurement and catering. In 16 Countries (including Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland) have introduced mandatory nutrition labelling for sodium on packaged foods, but no other mandatory measures have been implemented – i.e. they achieve a score of 2 (at least one voluntary directive).Six Member States still have a score of 1, meaning that they have only agreed to a national commitment to reduce intake, while two (Andorra and Monaco) have taken no or unknown measures.
If implemented universally, sodium restriction could lead to a total reduction in sodium intake of 23 % and a reduction in cardiovascular deaths by 3 % by 2030. In addition, four major interventions are recommended: 1) Reformulation of foods containing less salt and introduction of sodium limits for foods/meals, 2) establishing public guidelines on food procurement to limit salt/sodium-rich meals in public settings, 3) front/top packaging labelling to encourage consumer choice of products with lower sodium content, and 4) Communication and mass media campaigns.
Member States are invited to consult full report.
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Source — https://www.univadis.de/viewarticle/europ%25C3%25A4ische-salzrestriktionspolitik-hinkt-immer-noch-2023a10005u8