The research, conducted by Australia's Deakin University, found the parents want to cut down on the amount of food with salt in it but struggle because of the fact it's referred to as sodium on labels
On food labelling in Australia, salt is usually refered to as sodium (Credit: Pixabay)
Parents in Australia who are trying to reduce their children’s salt intake become unstuck when faced with food labelsdescribing the ingredient as sodium, according to a new study.
Under current labelling rules in Australia, the amount of salt used in a product can be labelled as sodium – an element which makes up about 40% of the salt mineral.
Data from the research, conducted by carried by Victoria-based Deakin University, showed that more than half the parents surveyed found it difficult to interpret sodium information displayed on packaged food.
According to Australian charity The Heart Foundation, the average person in the country consumes about nine grams of the condiment daily – three grams higher than the recommended amount.
Issue with salt food labels
Ajam Khokhar, an academic from Deakin’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition who was lead author on the study, said parents looking to cut down were often forced to make complex conversions at the supermarket shelf.
She said: “Young children should be consuming less than a teaspoon of salt a day.
“Any more can increase the risk of high blood pressure and related health issues like a stroke or heart attack later in life.
“But it’s difficult for parents, because while the public message is focused on reducing salt, when they’re at the supermarket and pick up a product off the shelf, its nutrition panel refers to ‘sodium’ – and that may be hard for them to interpret.
“They either don’t know what sodium is, or how that translates to salt content, so we need some more education on that.
“There is a formula you can use, but realistically that’s just not possible for every food item when you’re out shopping with kids.
“What we need is a consistent, front-of-pack labelling system, identifying products low in salt, and giving clear information about salt content across the board – not just on selected products.
“We need to help parents select lower-salt food options in a way that means they can pick these off the shelf easily.”
Published in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, researchers surveyed more than 2,000 Australian adults to look at what parents with children understood about appropriate salt intake.
Parents trying to cut down high levels of salt – but struggle due to labels
A previous study conducted by Deakin University found that 70% of parents asked were concerned with the amount of salt in their children’s diet.
The new piece of research found that parents were actively trying to reduce their intake but, according to Ms Khokhar, there is still confusion about how to cut down on salt.
“It seems parents might not be aware of the best products to choose,” she added.
“This paper really helps us look at whether there are different messages we need to be putting out there around salt to specifically target parents of children.
“While most of the sodium in our food comes from salt, sodium is also found naturally in various foods that we eat, even when they don’t have added salt.
“When the nutrients in foods are analysed, the sodium content from all sources is determined, and that’s why the current Australian standard is to list sodium content on food products, as opposed to just salt.”
Unpack the Salt campaign for better education
Heart Foundation Victoria CEO Kellie-Ann Jolly believes the need for better education of the consumer is vital.
She added: “Through our Unpack the Salt campaign, we have also sought to engage with food manufacturers and government to adopt ‘best buy’ salt reformulation strategies aimed at improving health outcomes at a population-wide level.
“We know the UK has one of the lowest salt intakes of any developed country and this has been achieved through setting robust salt reformulation targets, backed by strong government leadership.
“In Australia, work has already been done to gain consensus around draft salt targets through the Healthy Food Partnership.
“We urge the federal government and the healthy food partnership to continue this vital work and move to implement voluntary salt targets now for Australia’s health.”