Sodium reduction
technology, which enables sodium reduction in food while maintaining the same taste.
Cutting back
Beyond the technical issues with ingredients such as potassium chloride, cutting sodium involves other challenges. One of the main difficulties encompasses the public perception of food – consumers who are used to certain levels of saltiness will struggle with reduced sodium options before their tastebuds can adapt. “Delivering and maintaining the desired taste experience is complex and often involves rebalancing flavour and seasoning elements in addition to lowering the level of sodium in the recipe,” says Lammers. “This process requires expertise from our culinary, food science, flavour and ingredient teams. We work with expert sensory panellists trained to recognise changes in smell, taste, texture, etc. that would be indistinguishable to the average person to ensure all recipe changes will be acceptable to the consumer.” While adding less salt can taste bland, this is something your body will adapt to over time as your tastebuds start working better, Pombo adds. Salt alternatives, for their part, pose a similar problem. The texture changes associated with sodium reduction can be another frustrating challenge.
Reducing sodium, in short, is a looming task for food companies, one requiring a thoughtful balance between cutting salt and adding alternatives. PepsiCo’s new sodium targets are an ambitious step in the right direction, aiming to be 15-30% lower for convenient food categories, explains Lammers. “For example,” he continues, “Our new sodium goal aims for a 15% sodium reduction in our US product Lay’s Classic Potato Chips, which would result in a sodium level of 140mg per 28g serving.” As Lammers continues, PepsiCo is focused on controlling sodium levels in its products with guidance from public health experts and science but is aware of the complexities of the global nutrition landscape. As Pombo emphasises, gradual reduction of sodium content is the best step forward – both for achieving immediate health benefits and a more successful long-term solution. That’s borne out by the numbers. As QMUL’s study showed in the UK, if the voluntary programme had continued as before, then over 38,000 deaths from strokes and heart disease could have been prevented – and salt intake might have been drastically reduced, too. These considerations are equally important for the long-term future health of the public. According to the British Heart Foundation, if every adult in the UK met WHO’s salt consumption guidelines by 2030, there would be 1.4 million fewer new cases of high blood pressure, 135,000 fewer new
Ingredients Insight /
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cases of coronary heart disease and up to 49,000 fewer new cases of stroke by 2035. With so much on the line, therefore, then how can the food industry meet these low-sodium targets? For Pombo, the gradual reduction of sodium in our food is a key intermediate step – but mandatory guidelines and regulations are what’s really necessary. “Many companies are nowhere near achieving those targets for whatever reason,” she says, adding that’s likely down to their voluntary nature. While some companies might be keen to further their salt reduction progress, if their competitors aren’t
While adding less salt can taste bland, this is something that the human body will adapt to over time.
“Delivering and maintaining the desired taste experience is complex and often involves rebalancing flavour and seasoning elements in addition to lowering the level of sodium in the recipe.”
René Lammers
participating, why should they? Certainly, Lammers implies as much himself. “We recognise the importance of consumer acceptability of any products we offer,” he says. “Reducing sodium in our products won’t help to reduce sodium intake if individuals switch to other higher-sodium options or add salt at the table.”
The vagaries of capitalism therefore make an industry-wide approach vital. “We hope,” Lammers adds, “that other leaders in the food and beverage space will utilise scientific knowledge and innovative solutions and set new standards for themselves and their products.”
38,000
Deaths due to stroke and heart disease that could have been avoided between 2014– 2018 if the UK’s salt reduction programme had successfully continued. QMUL
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