Sodium reduction Sodium reduction


The war


hroughout history salt has always been a precious resource. Citizens of the early Chinese era used coins of salt to pay their way, while inhabitants of Mediterranean climes turned to salt cakes as currency. As a reward for blood spilt on the battlefield, Roman soldiers were often paid with the stuff. Indeed, the word ‘salary’ actually derives from ‘sal,’ the Latin word for salt. Wars have even been fought over sodium. In 1482, Ferrara, then ruled by Duke Ercole I d’Este took control of the saltworks at Comacchio on which Venice had overseen a monopoly for centuries, sparking a two-year conflict.


T Ingredients Insight / www.ingredients-insight.com


on salt


High sodium levels are linked to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, kidney disease and even the chances of having a stroke. In fact, the World Health Organisation (WHO) attributes three million global deaths a year to high sodium intakes. To help protect citizens and increase nutritional understanding, the WHO and The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have released guidance on recommended healthy levels of salt intake as part of a daily diet. Gary King surveys the latest guidelines.


The salt trade also helped shape the course of the American Revolution. At the war’s outbreak in 1775, the British severed trade with the American government, causing fear of a salt shortage. In response, Benjamin Franklin made a deal with Bermuda to supply sodium to American forces. In 1783, once the smoke cleared and the Revolutionary war was won, American-owned independent salt works were set up along the Atlantic Coast. Then, of course, there’s Mahatma Gandhi’s infamous Salt March (1930), part of a civil disobedience campaign that convinced ordinary Indians to make and sell salt on their own


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