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BENGALURU: The state government is planning to introduce warning labels on salt packets to caution consumers against excess salt consumption. It is also contemplating bringing in a law to ensure that only salt considered beneficial for health is manufactured and sold.
The warning labels would be similar to those on cigarette packets and advise people to limit their salt intake.
Health Minister UT Khader said here on Wednesday that the government is also considering introducing a law to ensure that only healthy salt is manufactured and sold. Emphasis will be on fortified salt as part of these measures, he added. He suggested that salt packets should be sold with a spoon indicating the appropriate quantity to be used. Consumers add salt without measuring it and providing a spoon could help them regulate the quantity, he added.
Public health experts, however, said warning stickers on salt packets will only be a first step and it should be supported by wider measures. Public health researcher Prasanna Saligram of Sarvatrika Arogya Andolana Karnataka (SAAK) said clear labelling of salt content is essential, particularly in packaged foods. “It’s a first step, but it is not enough. The first starting point is labelling,” he said.
Salt in processed food major concern: Expert
Health Minister UT Khader said, “Can they at least mention the salt content and what is the percentage? There has to be fundamental disclosure that there is going to be so much salt and that salt is injurious.”
Public health researcher Prasanna Saligram of Sarvatrika Arogya Andolana Karnataka (SAAK) said the larger concern is the amount of salt consumed through ultra-processed foods, where consumers may not always realise how much salt they are consuming. “We can even forgive whatever homemade salty foods, but ultra-processed foods are the big elephant in the room,” he said.’He said the government should look beyond salt packets and ensure that consumers have clear information on sugar, oil and trans-fat content of packaged foods. He stressed the need for effective implementation and enforcement of any measures introduced.
Veena Shatrugna, who has retired as medical scientist at ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, said any effort to reduce salt consumption should take into account differences in food habits across regions and communities.
Shatrugna said salt consumption is closely linked to food practices, including the use of spices, pickles and chutneys, and that simply asking people to reduce salt may not be sufficient without explaining practical alternatives.
