Furthermore, average intake among children is above the recommended level – and some children consume as much salt as adults. Progress towards a low-salt diet needs to be accelerated as a matter of urgency.

Policy goal

• Reduce population-level consumption of salt. To achieve this, the evidence suggests that the following are among the measures that should be considered.

Recommended actions

• Accelerate the reduction in salt intake among the population. Aim for a maximum intake of 6 g per day per adult by 2015 and 3 g by 2025.

• Ensure children's salt intake does not exceed age-appropriate guidelines (these guidelines should be based on up-to-date assessments of the available scientific evidence).​

• Promote the benefits of a reduction in the population's salt intake to the European Union (EU).​

• Introduce national legislation if necessary.​

• Ensure national policy on salt in England is not weakened by less effective action in other parts of the EU.​

• Ensure food producers and caterers continue to reduce the salt content of commonly consumed foods (including bread, meat products, cheese, soups and breakfast cereals). This can be achieved by progressively changing recipes, products and manufacturing and production methods.​

• Establish the principle that children under 11 should consume substantially less salt than adults. (This is based on advice from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition.)​

• Support the Department of Health so that it can continue to promote – and take the lead on – the development of EU-wide salt targets for processed foods.​

• Establish an independent system for monitoring national salt levels in commonly consumed foods.​

• Ensure low-salt products are sold more cheaply than their higher salt equivalents.​

• Clearly label products which are naturally high in salt and cannot meaningfully be reformulated. Use the traffic light system developed by the Food Standards Agency. The labels should also state that these products should only be consumed occasionally.

• Discourage the use of potassium and other substitutes to replace salt. The aim of avoiding potassium substitution is twofold: to help consumers' readjust their perception of 'saltiness' and to avoid additives which may have other effects on health.​

• Promote best practice in relation to the reduction of salt consumption, as exemplified in these recommendations, to the wider EU.