The Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) is a group of specialists concerned with salt and its effect on health. It is working to reach a consensus with the food industry and government over the harmful effects of a high salt diet, and bring about a reduction in the amount of salt added to food at home and, importantly, in processed foods (currently around 80% of intake).
Breakfast is an important meal of the day and breakfast cereals are seen as a healthy choice. In the UK we eat an average of nearly 6 kg of cereal per person per year and 72% of all breakfasts feature ready-to-eat cereals. Breakfast cereals, especially when combined with milk, contain essential nutrients and usually have several important added vitamins and minerals such as folic acid and vitamin D. Many are also a good source of fibre.
However their ‘healthy' claim is often negated by the fact that, despite not necessarily tasting salty, they contain a lot of added salt. So much salt is added to Britain's best-known and longest-standing breakfast cereal that it contains as much salt as Atlantic sea water. Its manufacturer also claims that all its breakfast cereals are suitable for diabetics, yet it is known that diabetics are more sensitive to the effects of salt on blood pressure. Some of the cereals are converted to sugar very rapidly in the bloodstream and such foods are not advisable for diabetics.
As cereals form such a large part of the UK diet - especially for children who should be having less salt than adults -consumers should be made aware of the fact that many of them are packed with salt. We now know that a high salt intake leads to increased blood pressure, which is the major cause of stroke and heart disease. A high salt intake is also linked to other health problems, such as osteoporosis, gastric cancer and fluid retention. Therefore foods that have had large amounts of salt added cannot be good for the heart. All is not lost, however, for breakfast cereal enthusiasts who need to watch their salt intake. CASH has provided a list of those with little or no added salt. They are:
If you would like further information you are welcome to call:
Gaynor Russell, CASH Project Co-ordinator on: 0208 725 2409, e-mail cash@sghms.ac.uk
Editor's comment: 1 understand that the Chief Medical Officer, the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency all now recommend that a target for the average salt intake for adults should be 6g or less a day. I heard on the radio on 25th March that 5g of salt is the equivalent of one teaspoon. That seems a lot!
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