- The WHO has published a significant study on salt consumption
- Its worldwide standards are intended to increase public awareness of significant health hazards.
The World Health Organization (WHO) published the first version of its Global Sodium Benchmarks in May 2021. Ten standards were made, each for a different type of food.
The organization published a second version in April 2024 that expanded the parameters within each category. Seventy food subcategories are included with maximum salt levels in the most current version. However, why are these criteria being established? The website states, "These international standards are meant to support ongoing national and local initiatives to establish salt guidelines. The goal of global salt guidelines is to help countries make their own plans and rules, as well as to facilitate ongoing talks between the World Health Organization and the business world."
The WHO says that you shouldn't eat more than 5 grams of salt or 2 grams of sodium per day. Heart diseases and high blood pressure are more likely to happen if you eat too much salt.
According to the paper, it is also linked to a number of other health issues, such as obesity, stomach cancer, chronic renal disease, and liver illnesses. Therefore, it is essential to minimize salt consumption by implementing large-scale, focused actions.
Together with a Global Benchmark and the lowest upper limit that serves as the benchmark's foundation, the report includes a comprehensive list of food categories.
For example, the worldwide salt standard for cookies and sweet biscuits is 200 mg/100 g, and 580 mg/100 g for savoury biscuits and crackers. See this link for the whole list. The World Health Organization states that "it may not be feasible to apply the same target universally across all products and countries." Therefore, it becomes crucial to modify the benchmarks locally.
