New WHO benchmarks help countries reduce salt intake and save lives

Most people consume twice as much as 5 g of daily salt intake from the WHO, exposing themselves to a higher risk of heart disease and stroke that kill about 3 million people a year.

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a new set of global measures for sodium levels in more than 60 food categories that will help countries reduce the sodium content of food to improve nutrition and save lives.

“World reference benchmarks for different food categoriesIt is a guide for countries and industries to reduce the sodium content in various categories of processed foods. Worldwide consumption of processed foods is rapidly increasing source of sodium.

It is confusing that similar processed foods often contain different amounts of sodium in different countries. The harmonized WHO global benchmarks will show countries how they can gradually reduce their targets, based on their local food environment, and encourage industry to reduce processed sodium levels accordingly and move towards the WHO target of a 30% reduction global salt / sodium intake by 2025.

“Most people don’t know how much sodium they consume, nor the risks it poses,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “We need countries to establish policies to reduce salt intake and provide people with the information they need to make the right food choices. We also need the food and beverage industry to reduce sodium levels in processed foods. The new WHO benchmarks provide countries and industry with a starting point for reviewing and establishing policies to transform the food environment and save lives. “

Global sodium benchmarks focus on a wide range of categories of processed and packaged foods that contribute significantly to an overly salty diet. Processed and packaged bread, salty snacks, meat products and cheese fall into the categories of high-sodium food products identified for the new global benchmarks.

Reducing the sodium content by reformulating processed foods is a proven strategy to reduce sodium intake in the population, especially in places where there is a high consumption of processed foods. It can also prevent processed foods from becoming a major source of sodium in countries where consumption of these manufactured foods can increase rapidly.

In the United Kingdom, voluntary targets for food processors for food producers reduced salt intake for adults by approximately 15% between 2003 and 2011, indicating that setting targets in multiple food categories can achieve a significant reduction in sodium consumption.

“Access to affordable, healthy food is crucial for all people in every country,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, the Vital Strategies Initiative. “These global benchmarks are an important first step. As consumer taste adapts and technologically advances, governments and WHO can steadily reduce them over time until the goals of reducing the sodium population are met. When we gradually reduce sodium, the food will still taste great, and only our hearts will know the difference! ”

These new benchmarks are launched during the decisive year for nutrition and nutrition policy. United Nations Summit on Food Systems in September and Summit on Nutrition for Growth will convene a wide range of stakeholders in December to transform food systems by providing opportunities for national, regional and global efforts to improve the food environment and commit, including limiting the sodium content of processed foods.

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About the World Health Organization

The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, the WHO works with 194 member states, in six regions and from 149 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for the period 2019-2023 is to ensure that one billion more people have universal health insurance, to protect one billion more people from emergencies and to provide further billions of people with better health and well-being.

For updates on COVID-19 and public health tips to protect yourself from coronavirus, visit www.who.int and follow the WHO further Twitter,, Facebook,, Instagram,, LinkedIn,, TikTok,, Pinterest,, Snapchat,, YouTube,, Snatch

About rescuing to save lives

Solve to Save Lives is an initiative of the global health organization Vital Strategies aimed at preventing 100 million deaths from heart disease and making the world safer from epidemics. It is led by Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To learn more visit: https://www.resolvetosavelives.org or Twitter @ResolveTSL

About vital strategies

Vital Strategies is a global health organization that believes that every person should be protected by a strong public health system. We work with governments and civil society in 73 countries to design and implement evidence-based strategies that address their most pressing public health issues. Our goal is to see governments adopt promising large-scale interventions as soon as possible.

To learn more, visit www.vitalstrategies.org or Twitter @VitalStrat.