Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council

High levels of salt can be found in everything from bread to processed meat to soup. Canadians of all ages consume twice as much sodium than they should, according to Health Canada.

This growing health concern prompted the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council (MRAC) to join forces with adaptation councils across the country to fund a project that produced the Salt Reduction Guide for the Food Industry. The guide enables small and medium enterprises (SME's) in Canada to access information pertaining to the reformulation of products to reduce sodium and help food processors understand the technological challenges involved in developing low-sodium formulations.

The purpose of this project, which was funded through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) program, was to allow the Canadian food processing sector to position itself on the forefront of emerging issues related to the health effects of sodium levels in food.

Excessive sodium intake is a contributing factor to hypertension and is linked to cardiovascular disease and stroke. Therefore a high sodium diet represents a serious health risk, according to Health Canada.

Most consumers are taking this risk seriously and making health and wellness a priority, says Dave Shambrock, executive director of the Manitoba Food Processors Association (MFPA).

“There’s a real concern about taking the ‘bad components’ out of food or minimizing the incorporation of things like salt which is a preservative or additive,” he says.

The food industry will play a key role in reducing salt consumption among Canadians. Shambrock says the main beneficiaries of this guide will be small- to medium-sized companies.

“Large companies that are looking to reformulate products to reduce salt as an ingredient are going to be able to do that through their suppliers,” he says. “Small and medium sized companies don’t have that service available to them as readily so they typically would have to do that kind of work themselves. So having a guide like this that can give them direction is valuable.”

The guide includes data on how much salt can be removed from a product while still retaining the desired taste, texture and appearance.

“Everyone says they will choose products because of calorie reduction etc. but most people still buy based on flavour. Bottom line is that if it doesn’t taste good, regardless of its health benefits, people won’t buy it,” says Shambrock.

The guide also provides information on salt substitutes. Many ingredients exist to replace sodium chloride, such as yeast extracts, hydrolysed vegetable proteins and aromas. However, certain substitute ingredients are not permitted in standardized foods in Canada.

To download a copy of the Salt Reduction Guide for the Food Industry click here: http://www.foodtechcanada.ca/siteimages/Salt%20reduction%20guide%20for%20the%20food%20industry.pdf.

~ Teresa Falk, MRAC Communications Officer