Action on Salt | Action on Sugar | World Action on Salt, Sugar and Health

NEW RESEARCH published in the Journal Hypertension confirms that halving salt intake can significantly lower blood pressure in individuals already on treatment for high blood pressure (https://rb.gy/6ol2pq). Using data from 35 clinical trials, the authors found that for every 3g reduction in salt, there is an average decrease of approximately 3.5 mmHg in systolic blood pressure and 2 mmHg diastolic blood pressure. Reducing salt is the most cost-effective way to lower blood pressure and prevent death and disability from stroke, heart and kidney disease. A reduction of 1g in population salt intake could save >4,000 premature deaths/year. But with most of the salt in our diets already in the foods we buy, it's impossible to cut back without government intervention, and food industry involvement. It is estimated that over 1 in 4 adults in the UK, have high blood pressure, but as many as 5 million people do not know it, as it is relatively symptomless. High blood pressure is responsible for more than half of all strokes and heart attacks. These findings flag the importance of promoting salt reduction across all populations, including those with high blood pressure on medication Integrating salt reduction in standard care has potential for better BP control, reduced reliance on drugs & lower healthcare costs. Coinciding with #KnowYourNumbers, we and Blood Pressure UK are advocating for stronger public health initiatives to lower salt consumption and call for updated clinical recommendations that reflect these new findings. More details of the research https://lnkd.in/emJMYNCS

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I recently had the opportunity to discuss our latest research on out-of-home (OOH) foods and drinks in an interview with William Bradford Nichols from Nutrition Insight. OOH food (i.e., from restaurants, takeaways, and cafes) now contributes to a quarter of our calorie intake in the UK. However, our research revealed that complete nutrition data for these products is often not publicly available, highlighting a significant gap in transparency, especially as these foods become a more regular part of our diets. Our findings also showed that a substantial share of the best-selling OOH products are not healthy according to various healthiness metrics. Current models, like the UK nutrient profile model, often fall short because they don’t account for oversized portions, which are common in the OOH sector. Increasing nutritional transparency is crucial. Not just for helping consumers make better choices, but also for incentivising companies to reformulate their products and enabling Government to develop more effective public health policies. You can watch the full interview where I discuss these findings in more detail here https://lnkd.in/ezTSSWER. You can access the research report here: https://lnkd.in/eAWweNgp Thank you William for the insightful conversation! #PublicHealth #Nutrition #OutofHome #Research #FoodPolicy #NutritionResearch

I’m pleased to share a powerful op-ed by Thomas Abrams & Georgie Cowell from ShareAction, published in Open Access Government. The piece highlights critical findings from our recent research (https://lnkd.in/eAWweNgp), which assessed product healthiness in the out-of-home (OOH) food sector. The op-ed makes a compelling case for greater nutrition transparency, which could be a game-changer in promoting healthier eating habits. It also calls on companies, policymakers, and investors to take bold action to improve the healthiness of OOH food options. It’s time for the OOH food industry to step up, improve on transparency, and take responsibility for the health impact of their products. I encourage everyone interested in public health, nutrition, and corporate responsibility to read this insightful piece. The full op-ed is available here: https://lnkd.in/emFjui2D #PublicHealth #Nutrition #OutofHome #Research #FoodPolicy #NutritionResearch #HealthyEating #CorporateResponsibility

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💡We're #hiring! Join us as a communications officer to support the team across our influential research and advocacy work on salt and sugar reduction. #charityjobs Closing date 12th September Apply here: https://lnkd.in/dAzGXXhW

I’m excited to share my latest op-ed in The Grocer, where I discuss the urgent need for the out of home (OOH) sector to align with the healthiness reporting and standards required of the rest of the food industry. With OOH food now accounting for a significant portion of our daily diet —about 25% of calories in the UK— it's crucial that we address the healthiness of these offerings. Our recent research, carried out in close collaboration with Action on Salt | Action on Sugar | World Action on Salt, Sugar and Health, Obesity Health Alliance, and Bite Back, highlights a key gap: while the UK Nutrient Profile Model (NPM) helps ensure balanced food composition, it doesn’t account for the larger portion sizes typical in the OOH sector. Our report recommends using the NPM alongside government-set targets and guidelines for calorie, salt, and sugar reduction to effectively address this issue. We found that most top-selling menu items in the OOH sector are unhealthy, with limited transparency from major companies hindering public awareness and demand for healthier options. The time for excuses is over. Large OOH businesses, with their significant market influence, must lead the way in adopting and implementing healthiness standards. This is not just a regulatory issue, but an opportunity for growth and industry improvement. We urge the new Government to develop tailored healthiness standards for the OOH sector (e.g., via the Food Data Transparency Partnership) and call on large OOH businesses to step up and drive positive change. Read the full op-ed in The Grocer to learn more about our findings and recommendations: https://lnkd.in/efQdqwyB You can access the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eAWweNgp #PublicHealth #Nutrition #FoodPolicy #OutOfHome #Research

Our latest report looks into the healthiness of food and drink bought out of home (OOH) and highlights the urgent need for more transparency in nutrition information in the sector Less healthy diets are among the leading risk factors for the global burden of disease, largely driven by their association with cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Around 25% of our calorie intake now comes from restaurants, takeaways, and other OOH venues. Despite the introduction of mandatory calorie labelling for large businesses in 2022, the OOH sector still lacks consistent and comprehensive reporting on health and nutrition. This lack of nutrition information makes it challenging to set standards for product healthiness and monitor progress. Given the growing influence of the OOH sector on public health, it’s crucial to develop and enforce policies that incentivise businesses to offer, and/or shift sales towards, healthier products. In our report, we recommend a combination of metrics to assess OOH product healthiness, to account for both overall nutrient balance as well as food category-specific caps for calories, salt and sugar – the latter being especially important in the OOH context due to the oversized portions commonly served. We thank the Obesity Health Alliance and Bite Back for their invaluable contributions and ShareAction for funding this research. To explore the full findings and recommendations, you can access the report here: https://shorturl.at/BVx3g

Labour have won this year's General Election. As we welcome them into power, we look forward to seeing the implementation of a progressive public health strategy which makes the food industry more accountable and puts public health ahead of profits. Without doubt, the food we eat (which often contains too much salt, sugar and fat and lacks in fruit, vegetables and fibre) is now the biggest cause of death and disability in the world and costs the NHS billions of pounds every year. Today, marks a new era when much needed change and action must begin. The new government needs to create history and be the first to prioritise prevention by: 1. Improving nutritional composition of food & drink 2. Introducing levies to incentivise change 3. Creating healthy environments Read more on our recommendations https://bit.ly/3XOJTKc

In today's fast-paced world, the prevalence of poor diets has emerged as a leading cause of death and disease worldwide. This alarming trend is fueled by the consumption of cheap, heavily marketed, ultra-processed foods and drinks that are high in fat, salt and sugar. These products are energy-dense, lack essential nutrients and contribute to soaring levels of ill health from childhood to adulthood and old age.    The excessive sugar content in these products is particularly concerning, driving consumption levels far beyond recommended limits. Recognising this issue, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a recommendation for countries to drastically reduce sugar intake to just 5% of daily energy intake. To achieve this ambitious goal, WHO advocates for the implementation of fiscal policies and food reformulation strategies to get companies to improve their products.    Over the past decade, UK has taken proactive steps to address the alarming sugar intake through various policies.    Among these initiatives, the comparison between the soft drinks industry levy and the sugar reduction programme stands out. These policies aimed to tackle sugar intake from different angles, with varying degrees of success.    The mandatory soft drinks levy proved to be a formidable tool, achieving a remarkable reduction in total sugar by 34.3%. In contrast, the voluntary reduction programme fell short, managing only a modest 3.5% reduction in sugar levels despite target of 20%. This discrepancy offers policy learning in the importance of policy design and implementation processes in influencing outcomes.    Moving forward, there is immense potential to improve the impact of these policies. One strategy involves increasing the levy and adjusting the sugar content threshold to further incentivise reformulation within the soft drinks industry. Additionally, setting more stringent subcategory-specific targets within the sugar reduction programme can potentially drive meaningful change similar to the salt reduction programme.    Furthermore, policymakers should explore extending similar levies to other discretionary products that contribute significantly to sugar intake.    In conclusion, the lessons learned from the UK's experiences with sugar reduction policies offer valuable insights for shaping future initiatives. https://lnkd.in/ebRp2VCp Dr Kawther Hashem BSc MSc PhD RNutr Hattie Burt Mhairi Brown, RNutr Professor Graham MacGregor