New salt reduction targets announced

Many pub food staples - including crisps and snacks, sausages, burgers, chips, bread, pasta and rice - will be made with less salt by 2012.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced new salt reduction targets for a range of manufactured food products, many of which are regulars on pubs' shopping lists.

The agency said the 2012 targets "are more challenging" than targets previously set for 2010, but pointed out the new guidelines also give manufacturers longer to reformulate recipes that traditionally have high salt levels.

This includes products such as sausage, bacon, cheese and meat pies. For example, sausages will have to reduce from 1.4g of salt per 100g currently, to 1.13g per 100g by 2012.

Suppliers such as Walkers, United Biscuits and Brakes have already achieved significant reductions in salt content. The FSA said the new targets take this into account, and it is "aware that the revised targets pose a challenge for the industry. In view of this, we appreciate and are encouraged by the continued commitment to salt reduction expressed by the industry."

Brakes recently said that 70 per cent of all its product sales already meet the FSA's 2010 salt targets, up from 50 per cent at the start of 2008.

The new guidelines also include salt reduction targets for takeaway food, including fish & chips, Indian and Chinese meals.

However, while a reduction target has been set for 'bought sandwiches', a spokeswoman for the FSA told ThePublican.com​ this would not affect sandwiches freshly made to order in pubs.

"The ingredients used by pubs, such as bread and ham, will be covered by the new targets, but the 2012 reduction targets are aimed at manufacturers of packaged sandwiches," she said.

For details of the product categories included, go to FSA salt reduction targets​