Food reformulation. Collective agreements.
Agreement to reduce the salt content of potato chips and savoury snacks (2015)
The Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN), under the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, signed an agreement in 2015 with the Spanish Snack Manufacturers Association (AFAP), in which the sector made a commitment to reduce the average salt content of potato chips and savoury snacks by an additional 5% in the following 5 years.
AFAP also agreed to adopt a methodology for monitoring, sampling and analysis for salt of products through studying the nutritional content of the labels of the foods selected. AECOSAN will also be able to assess the results.
The agreement was made within the framework of the NAOS Strategy Plan for the Reduction of Salt Intake in Spain, which aims for a daily salt intake of 5 g (In Spain, 9.8 g is consumed per day), the evidence-based recommendation by the World Health Organization and other food authorities to reduce rates of high blood pressure and associated cardiovascular diseases.
This agreement reinforces years of voluntary work coordinated between AECOSAN and the food production and distribution industries to reduce salt content in food products.
The snack manufacturing sector has already begun acting on these aims, achieving reductions of 18% in salt content in potato chips and 13% in other savoury snacks in order to improve these products’ nutritional profile; the agreed additional reduction of 5% over the next five years will be added to this.
Agreement to reduce salt and fat in artisan meat and charcuterie products (2012)
In 2012, AECOSAN reached an agreement with the Spanish Confederation of Meat Retailers (CEDECARNE) and the Association of Manufacturers and Distributors of Food Additives and Supplements (AFCA) to reduce average salt content by 10% and average fat content by 5% for a range of meat and charcuterie products produced and sold in retail businesses. The agreed timeframe for this reduction was two years.
Agreement to reduce salt in bread (2004)
Researchers detected that one significant source of salt in the adult population of Spain within the category of processed foods was bread; bread accounted for 19% of the total sodium intake, followed by ham, cured meats and cold meats. The same foods are the largest sources of sodium in children, although bread takes second place.
For this reason, an agreement was signed within the framework of the NAOS Strategy between the Spanish Confederation of Bakers (CEOPAN), the Spanish Association of Manufacturers of Frozen Dough (ASEMAC) and the Ministry of Health to reduce the percentage of salt used in bread production from 22 g NaCl/kg flour to a maximum of 18 g NaCl/kg flour over a period of four years, at a rate of one gram per year.
To that end, AECOSAN carried out a study monitoring salt content in bread produced in Spain. The findings of the study, which concluded in the second half of 2008, demonstrated that there had been a significant reduction in the amount of salt used in bread production since the agreement was signed. Specifically, the analyses carried out indicated that the average NaCl content was 16.3 g NaCl/kg bread flour. The majority of Autonomous Communities met the final salt reduction target agreed for 2009.