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The Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Northern Ireland have released the first NI specific report into the daily salt intake, which found that people are consuming an alarming 43% more salt than they should be.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Northern Ireland have released the first NI specific report into the daily salt intake of adults, which found that people are consuming an alarming 43% more salt than they should be.

The report, which has been published as an official statistic as part of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), estimated the salt intake of adults, aged 19-64 years in NI, over a seven month period in 2015.

The average salt intake was found to be 8.6g per day - 43% higher than the recommended maximum limit of 6g per day, with men eating more than women.

We can identify from the wider NDNS that white bread, meat products such as bacon and ham, and foods such as cooking sauces, soups and condiments are the biggest contributors of salt in people’s diets in NI.

Joanne Casey, Dietitian at the FSA in NI, commented on the report: “The findings are alarming and show that people in NI eat too much salt and need to cut down. A high salt intake can contribute to raised blood pressure, which itself is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. I would encourage everyone to be more aware of the salt in their diet and to try to cut down.” 

To increase people’s awareness of the salt content of foods, many businesses are using front of pack nutrition labelling. This colour coded labelling system means foods are coloured red, amber and green, to show people at a glance what is in their food. 

She added, “It’s not commonly known that 75% of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy. I would encourage people to read the labels on food packets and look for products with lower salt content. If the label on the front of packaging is colour coded, try to choose foods that are coloured green for salt, as this indicates it is a low salt food. It’s also worth experimenting with different ways to flavour food, with a variety spices or herbs. I’d also encourage people not to add any salt from the salt cellar during cooking or at the table.”

To further arm people with the information they need about the food they eat, the FSA in NI launched the Eatwell Guide earlier this year. The guide, replacing the old eatwell plate, reflects the most up to date government dietary recommendations. Along with all the other main food categories, the guide has been designed to inform people about how much salt they should have in their food, how to find alternatives and to help educate on about how to make healthier food choices.

Related media

NDNS: assessment of dietary sodium (560.74 KB)

Diet and healthy study 2015 (1.79 MB)

Urinary sodium data for NI (62.28 KB)