Sodium still high in processed foods
Food in Canada
Food In Canada Bake & Snack Food Dairy Health & Wellness Ingredients & Additives Meat &Poultry Specialty Foods Health Canada processed foods salt sodium sodium reductionHealth Canada says results of voluntary efforts to reduce sodium in processed foods show it's not happening fast enough
Salt spilling on wooden table from salt cellar Ottawa – Health Canada just released an update on how the food processing industry is doing when it comes to reducing sodium.
So far, the results are modest.
In a statement, Health Canada says that in 2012 it “established voluntary sodium reduction targets for 94 processed food categories following extensive consultation with the food industry.” And it says it encouraged the food industry to achieve these targets by the end of 2016.
This recent assessment shows that the food industry met the targets in just 14 per cent of the food categories.
To read more on Health Canada’s sodium reduction update, click here.
Health Canada says the modest results indicate that “additional measures are needed to reduce sodium in processed foods.”
The department plans to analyze each food category over the next few months, and also plans to meet with industry stakeholders and scientific experts “to better understand the challenges” food companies are facing in reducing sodium.
Health Canada reminds consumers that eating more sodium than is considered healthy can lead to high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.
Print this page
