Processed foods are largely to blame for nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) of adult New Zealanders consuming more sodium than current nutrition guidelines recommend, according to researchers from The University of Otago, in New Zealand. The researchers analysed urine samples taken from 3,000 people who took part in the New Zealand government’s latest adult nutrition survey. The average sodium intake for New Zealand adults was estimated to be around 3,500 milligrams per day (equivalent to around... ...Read more »

Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Catherine King, announced today that Australia’s leading food manufacturers and retailers have voluntarily agreed to reduce salt levels in soup products over the next three years. The agreement between the Australian Government’s Food and Health Dialogue and leading manufacturers and retailers was reached in Canberra this morning. Leading manufacturers Unilever, Heinz, Campbell Arnotts and Nestle, along with major retailers Woolworths, Coles and... ...Read more »

For years doctors have warned that too much salt is bad for your heart. Now, new research from the McMaster University, in Canada, suggests that both high and low levels of salt intake may put people with heart disease or diabetes at increased risk of cardiovascular complications. This is the second major scientific study this month that has questioned the health benefits of reducing the dietary intake of sodium. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) today,... ...Read more »

New Danish research published today in the American Journal of Hypertension claims that, contrary to previous findings, reducing the amount of sodium in one’s diet may not have an overall positive impact on heart health. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that the general recommendation of reducing dietary sodium as a preventative heath measure should be re-evaluated. The study titled ‘Effects of Low-Sodium Diet vs. High-Sodium Diet on Blood Pressure’ was undertaken by researchers... ...Read more »

Quick Service Restaurant Holdings Pty Limited (QSRH), which operates the Red Rooster chain of restaurants in Australia, has entered into a two-year agreement to develop healthier food ingredients with Australian biotechnology company Holista. QSRH is one of Australia’s largest fast-food operators with over 600 restaurants in Australia. Under the agreement, Holista will supply its proprietary ingredients exclusively to QSRH for joint research and development with the aim of offering healthier food... ...Read more »

The Medical Journal of Australia has published a report which has found that non-government volunteer organisations in Australia and New Zealand have had a positive impact in encouraging bread manufacturers to voluntarily reduce sodium levels in bread products in Australia and New Zealand. Working together, the University of Auckland, in New Zealand, and the George Institute for Global Health, in Sydney, studied the effectiveness of collaborations between the Australian Division of World Action on... ...Read more »

Change made by food giant Heinz to the ingredients of its HP Sauce in the UK is reported to be causing uproar amongst fans of the sauce living in the UK. However, according to Heinz Australia, not a single complaint had been received in Australia, where the sauce is also popular, before today’s report. Heinz was directed by the UK government to lower the salt content of HP Sauce under a new health initiative. The salt level in the sauce has been reduced from 2.1g per 100g to 1.3g per 100g. In... ...Read more »

The George Institute for Global Health has called on the Government to take tougher action on reformulating products to reduce salt, in an effort to reduce hypertension (or high blood pressure) – a condition caused mostly by salt, which kills large numbers of Australians each year through strokes, heart attacks and heart failure. The UK, US and Canada are far ahead of Australia in salt reduction, having set targets for 80 food categories, compared to Australia’s 9. The UK has already... ...Read more »

With the increase in numbers of overweight children and young adults, Canada and other developed countries are facing an obesity epidemic, according to a new article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, which goes on to state that legislative approaches will be required to address the problem. Canadians have become heavier and less fit over the last three decades; people aged 20-39 years have the BMI (body mass index) that people aged 40 or older had thirty years ago. The 2007-2009 Canadian... ...Read more »

The Australian Government Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Catherine King, today chaired the sixth meeting of the Food and Health Dialogue. The Dialogue brings together government, industry and public health groups with the aim of addressing poor dietary habits and making healthier food choices easier and more accessible for all Australians. The Dialogue is undertaking, as its primary activity, action on food innovation. This includes a voluntary reformulation program to reduce risk-associated... ...Read more »