Reducing salt consumption

Accelerating salt reduction in the WHO European Region

Excessive consumption of salt (more than 5 g per day) raises blood pressure – a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke, and the leading cause of death in the WHO European Region. Many countries in the Region have initiated national salt-reduction strategies, including public awareness campaigns, reformulation activities and front-of-pack nutrition labelling. However, despite on-going efforts, surveillance data indicates that salt intake still far exceeds the limits recommended by WHO to protect health. More concerted efforts are needed to develop effective national salt-reduction programmes, conduct high-quality surveillance, and implement the policies and interventions which are known to be effective in reducing population-level salt intake.

As part of WHO’s support and technical leadership for the prevention and control of NCDs, WHO/Europe has developed guidance to help Member States either to accelerate existing efforts to reduce salt intake or to embark on salt-reduction journeys that have yet to begin.