The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) recommended that a reduction in the average population salt intake would proportionally lower population average blood pressure levels and confer significant public health benefits by contributing to a decrease in the burden of cardiovascular disease. The Department prioritised salt reduction in its White Paper “Choosing Health—Making healthy choices easier”, in which it committed to having discussions with industry to increase opportunities for people to make healthy choices in what they eat.
The Department and the Food Standards Agency have been working in partnership to deliver the SACN recommendation and reduce the average population salt intakes to six grams, as set out in the Department’s “Food and Health Action Plan” and the agency’s “Strategic Plan” up to 2010.
Reducing the rising burden of lifestyle diseases is also one of the high-level priorities that the Department will have a particular focus on for 2008-09, with the Department having a leading role working with partners across the public and private sectors, nationally and regionally.