WIREDGOV

The Agency’s Chief Scientist Andrew Wadge has posted a blog detailing the science behind our salt campaign in the wake of an article in The Times last week. The article challenges the evidence behind the campaign.

But Dr Wadge points out that the Agency’s advice to consume no more than 6g of salt a day is based on independent expert advice from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and this is based on a wide range of published scientific evidence (approximately 200 studies). The 6g intake limit that the Agency recommends for adults is consistent with advice from the world’s leading scientific bodies, including the World Health Organization and the Institute of Medicine in the US. He also criticises the use of some of the studies that The Times cites in favour of its case.

The Agency’s campaign to encourage people to read the label and choose food with lower salt content was launched last month with ads on television, radio and on websites. The Agency also launched an iPhone and web-enabled phone application to help people check whether the salt in a product is high, medium or low, while they are out shopping.