Nestlé commits to meeting WHO salt target

To meet the World Health Organization (WHO) salt target, Nestlé has pledged to accelerate the reduction of salt in all its food brands. The WHO salt target is no more than 5 grams of salt per person per day by 2025.

The company has already reduced salt levels in hundreds of savoury products including soups, noodles, recipe mixes, frozen and chilled meals and pizzas, and will further reduce salt as part of the pledge.

In addition, all new product launches will be specially formulated with an even lower level of sodium, the company said.

“We have made great strides in reducing the salt content of our food products in recent years and we want to build on that progress,” said Henri-Pierre Lenoble, Nutrition, Health and Wellness manager within Nestlé Food.

“Our goal is to offer consumers products that enable them to make practical, healthy nutritional choices, every day.”

By 2012, Nestlé had reduced the amount of salt in its recipes by 14,043 tons compared to 2005 levels. The company has also committed to reducing the amount of salt in its high-sodium products (such as ready meals, soups, noodles, recipe mixes and pizzas) by at least 10% in the next three years.

Nestlé has reduced salt levels gradually to allow consumers to adapt their taste for salt.

The company has also collaborated with US life sciences company Chromocell Corporation to identify compounds with similar or equally pleasing tastes that could potentially be used instead of salt in a range of foods.