For Salt Awareness Week 2017 (Monday 20 March – Sunday 26 March 2017), the Consensus Action on Salt & Health (CASH) has issued a press release and survey, which used their smartphone app ‘Foodswitch’ to look at the salt levels in shopping baskets of everyday items sold in UK supermarkets.
Looking at 28 food items, each representing a different category within the 2017 salt reduction targets, CASH found a huge variation in salt levels, with most categories still not meeting the targets, and are calling for more action from manufacturers and Public Health England if we are to reduce our salt intakes to below 6g a day.
The newly updated FoodSwitch app is now available to download – from either iTunes or Google Play – see links below. Using this app, you can scan in the barcode of your food and drink, see the colour coded label for that item, and see healthier choices. Shoppers are encouraged to do give it a go and give CASH your feedback, if you can.
Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, executive director iHV, said:
“HVs are well-placed to start to educate parents on the dangers of salt and the amount found in foodstuffs, but are often stretched by time constraints as they have so many important public health messages to share. Being able to point parents to an app will be very helpful.”
