Ministry of Health launches strategy to get Malaysians to eat less salt by 2025

“Several soy sauce companies have committed to participate in this study and we hope more companies will also be proactive in reformulating other products that are also high in salt,” he said at the launch. strategy here today.

In addition to voluntary action by industry to implement product reformulation, the Ministry of Health must also take drastic measures to control salt content by introducing a mandatory maximum limit of salt content for certain food products by through a 1983 food law amendment that should be completed before 2025, he said.

A study of salt intake among Malaysians in 2019 found that the average salt intake was 7.9 grams per day or 1.6 teaspoons, exceeding the recommendation of less than 5.0g per day.

Some of the most commonly eaten types of food that contribute to high salt intake include fried vegetables, omelet, fried noodles and roti canaihe noted.

Dr Noor Azmi said the strategy also aims to raise awareness about salt intake and the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

“Reducing salt intake is one of the key early and cost-effective interventions in the prevention and control of NCDs, especially hypertension.

“The 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey shows that three out of 10 Malaysian adults or 6.4 million suffer from hypertension,” he said.

The Salt Reduction Strategy 2021-2025 will be implemented through Monitoring, Outreach and Products (MAP), which involves cooperation between agencies and stakeholders, including product manufacturers. — Bernama

Maria J. Book