Food products sold in Portugal reduced about 15% of the average salt content and 21% of sugar in five years – without consumers having to change their food choices.
The Portuguese are in a “Forced” weaning of salt and sugarbut many don’t even notice.
In the last five years, the food has been minus 15% of salt content and 21% sugar.
Data published in the “Food Reformulation Report in Portugal-2018-2023” estimates a reduction of consumption of about 18 tons of salt and 7,400 tons of sugar.
These results arose following the reformulation agreement between the Directorate-General for Health, the Food Industry and the flap to reduce the content of these nutrients in various food products. Many consumers didn’t even notice.
Weaning of salt and sugar
The analysis included, in the case of salt, chips and other salty, pizza and breakfast cereals, and the progressive reduction of sugar was also analyzed in the latter, as well as in soda, nectars, yoghurts, fermented milk and flavored milk.
To the director of the National Program for the Promotion of Healthy Eating of DGS, Maria João Gregóriothese results “are quite positive” because they allow you to verify that, in the global, there was a reduction of salt and sugar in all categories covered by the agreement.
The global reduction verified between 2018 and 2023 was 14.8% in the average salt content and 20.8% in the average sugar content.
According to the report, 8 of the 11 categories of food products analyzed met the defined goals in nutritional reformulation protocols.
Regarding sugar, three categories (sodas, chocolate milk, yogurts, fermented milks and breakfast cereals) exceeded the defined objectives.
In the case of salt, three other categories: breakfast cereals, pizzas, chips and ‘other’ salty snacks also exceeded the defined reduction goal for 2022.
In addition, through a specific agreement with the food flap, it was also possible to reduce the salt content on bread, soups and pre-watershed ready to consume.
Almost all bread and pre-embedded meals reached the definite goal, being below 1 gram (g) of salt per 100 g for the case of bread, and 0.9 g of salt per 100 g for meals.
The established goals were based on the WHO recommendations – World Health Organization and the overall objective of reaching by 2020 a maximum daily consumption of 5 grams of salt per person and the free sugars of about 50 g/day for the general population and 25 g/day for children.
Consumers did not notice
Maria João Gregório reinforced the importance of reformulation as a public health strategy, allowing to reduce the consumption of these nutrients that is high in Portugal, without requiring consumer choices change.
He exemplified that 24% of the Portuguese population consumes free sugars above the limit recommended by WHO, a value that rises to almost 50% among children and adolescents.
In the case of salt, about 77% of the population exceeds the recommended consumption.
The official pointed out that, because it is “a measure that changes the food environment”, it has the potential to have a impact broader in the entire population, especially in the most vulnerable groups ”, where chronic diseases such as the obesity, diabetes and hypertension, associated with inadequate eating habitsare more prevalent.
