Sodium Reduction Efforts in the Americas: A Mixed Picture

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major cause of heart diseases and strokes. In 2019, it was linked to 10.8 million deaths around the world. The number of adults with hypertension has grown significantly, with over 1 billion affected that year. One of the main reasons for hypertension is consuming too much Sodium. Lowering sodium intake can lead to better heart health.

The World Health Organization (WHO) advises that adults should eat less than 5 grams of salt a day, which equates to about 2 grams of sodium. Unfortunately, the average salt intake globally was much higher in 2019, reaching around 10.8 grams of salt, or 4.3 grams of sodium daily.

#WHO Action Plan and Guidelines

In 2013, WHO put together a plan to help reduce salt intake by 30% by 2025. Nearly all countries signed this agreement. To support this goal, various strategies were suggested. These included reformulating food products to contain less sodium, establishing guidelines for public food purchases to limit high-sodium foods, using labels on food packages to inform consumers, and running media campaigns to raise awareness about reducing sodium intake.

Despite these efforts, a report in early 2023 showed that many countries were not on track to meet these goals. Only a small percentage of countries had implemented effective policies to reduce sodium in foods.

#Goals for the Americas Region

To help countries in the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) outlined sodium reduction targets for several food types in 2015. A study in 2019 analyzed sodium levels in packaged foods in 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries. This study revealed that around 82% of foods met the PAHO targets, though only 47% met stricter sodium targets.

In 2021, PAHO updated these targets to make them stricter for the years 2022 and 2025. The WHO also set global benchmarks for sodium levels in various food categories. However, since 2018, there has not been much follow-up on monitoring sodium levels in packaged foods in the Americas.

#Purpose of the Recent Study

The recent study focused on measuring current sodium levels in packaged foods in five countries: Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, and Peru. The objectives were twofold: first, to check how well these countries were doing in meeting the updated sodium targets; and second, to observe the changes in sodium reduction progress over time in three Latin American countries.

#Methodology

The study collected data from supermarkets between March and August 2022, gathering information from over 44,000 food items. The nutritional information was taken from the Nutrition Facts tables. Data collection utilized a smartphone-based system developed by the University of Toronto.

Foods were organized into 16 major categories and 75 subcategories according to the updated PAHO targets. Only items with clear sodium content were included in the analysis. After excluding certain foods that didn’t fit the categories or lacked necessary information, the final dataset included about 25,569 food items.

#Sodium Levels in Packaged Foods

The analysis revealed that 'processed meat and poultry' and 'sauces, dips, gravy, and condiments' had the highest median sodium levels per 100 grams. Notably, the amount of sodium varied greatly within food categories. The study also found significant differences in sodium levels across different countries.

When looking at the sodium levels based on calories, foods like 'sauces, dips, gravy, and condiments', 'soups' and 'processed vegetables, beans, and legumes' had the highest sodium density. This indicates that lower-energy foods often have higher sodium levels.

#Compliance with Sodium Targets

Overall, about 47% of the analyzed foods met their respective sodium targets set for 2022. Peru and Argentina showed the highest compliance rates at 52% and 50%, while Panama's rate was just 36%. The food categories that most often met the targets included 'ready-made foods' and 'processed meat and poultry.' However, categories like 'bread products' and 'granola bars' showed lower compliance.

When considering sodium levels based on calories, compliance rates were similar, with Peru leading at 52%. Again, 'savoury snacks' had the highest compliance, while 'bread products' and 'ready-made foods' lagged behind.

#Longitudinal Progress

For countries with available past data, the results showed that compliance with older sodium targets increased over time. Countries like Argentina, Costa Rica, and Peru saw improvements from 2015 to 2022, with compliance rates rising from 82% to 90% for regional targets.

However, this progress is slow, indicating that more effort is needed to meet the goal of a 30% reduction in sodium intake by 2025. Governments are encouraged to push for mandatory sodium reduction measures at the manufacturer level as well as increased public awareness.

#National Policies and Programs

The five countries involved in the study have national policies aimed at reducing sodium intake. For example, Argentina established maximum sodium limits for certain foods and has ongoing monitoring programs. Costa Rica has a voluntary strategy for sodium reduction, while Canada has guidelines for prepackaged foods.

Panama has recently introduced a national plan to lower sodium consumption. Despite these efforts, the results indicate that compliance with the updated targets is still lacking in many areas.

#Conclusion and Recommendations

This study sheds light on the current state of sodium levels in packaged foods across five countries in the Americas. While there has been some progress, overall compliance with sodium reduction targets remains modest. As a result, more decisive actions are necessary to reach the WHO’s global sodium reduction target by 2025.

Recommended actions include implementing mandatory sodium reduction targets, encouraging food reformulation, and promoting public awareness campaigns. There is also a need to transform food systems to focus on healthier, less processed food options to improve public health outcomes.

In summary, while there have been improvements in sodium compliance, the pace is not enough to meet future goals. Stronger commitments and broader actions are essential for effective sodium reduction and better health for the population.