OTTAWA — The movers and shakers of the health and business communities want to pinch Canadians’ penchant for salt.
A panel of experts has offered six general and 27 specific recommendations on reducing people’s salt intake.
The group, chaired by Health Canada, released its long-awaited report Thursday in Ottawa.
Manufacturers are being encouraged to lower the sodium content of their products over time to meet voluntary salt targets.
The initial aim is to reduce people’s average daily sodium intake by about a third, to 2,300 mg, by 2016.
For adults, 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day is considered adequate. The group’s goal of 2,300 mg is considered the most sodium people should consume each day.
But Canadians can’t seem to shake their salt addiction. The average person consumes 3,400 mg of sodium daily.
The panel says the kind of reductions it is recommending could prevent heart problems and other ailments.
“This strategy has the potential to save thousands of lives over the coming years that would otherwise be lost to cardiovascular disease, stroke and other ailments,” said Mary L’Abbe, vice-chair of the group and a professor at the University of Toronto.
Research suggests that reducing the amount of dietary sodium to recommended levels could prevent premature deaths from heart disease and strokes in 30 to 40 Canadians a day — saving roughly 11,000 to 15,000 lives a year.
The 25-member panel, chaired by Health Canada, included representatives from food manufacturing and the food service industry, health-focused organizations, scientists, consumer groups and government.
Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, who didn’t attend the release of the report, thanked the group for its work but wouldn’t commit to implementing all of its recommendations.