Sodium working group to recommend voluntary reductions.

Federal regulations aimed at reducing the amount of salt in prepared foods would be too cumbersome, complex and expensive to implement, according to Health Canada’s Sodium Working Group (SWG). The SWG has decided to recommend voluntary reductions “as a first step,” Vice Chair Mary L’Abbe says. “Voluntary, but they will be very visible and public targets. The visibility brings a certain level of motivation to meet targets. And I think you have to recognize that is not unreasonable given both the magnitude of changes that have to occur with sodium and the experience of other countries. It does take time. I think a voluntary approach with very public and very clear objectives will at least get the process started.” The food industry “is too diverse” to expect it to comply with mandatory regulations, L’Abbe adds. . Dietitians of Canada representative Susan Barr says the voluntary guidelines will use “a targeted approach similar to that used in the United Kingdom. The specific targets, however, will be developed in consultation with Canadian food industry.” The United Kingdom uses a colour-coded “traffic light” approach to inform consumers about salt levels within foods. Under the system, red, amber and green warnings as determined by UK and European Commission regulations (www.eatwell.gov.uk/foodlabels/trafficlights/) are placed on the front of food packages to alert consumers to salt levels. If the sodium content is higher than the recommended daily intake, the product will get a red light. Label size is entirely at the discretion of manufacturers and participation is entirely voluntary but UK officials say that about 40% of composite, processed food manufacturers have joined the program since it was established in 2005 (CMAJ 2008. DOI:10.1503/cmaj.081755). Barr says the food industry needs time to find alternatives to salt. “There aren’t any countries in the world that have done mandatory. While that may not be a good reason, the mandatory route is extremely cumbersome to develop all the legislation and to enforce it . . . people need time to adapt to taste changes. Our food industry needs time to find other means or processes that will fulfill the function of salt.” Mandatory regulations would be nightmarish, costly and complex, she adds. “The voluntary approach is much more flexible and allows things to be changed over time without the cumbersome process of legislation.” The SWG was established in 2007 by former Health Minister Tony Clement. Its mandate was to develop guidelines aimed at helping Canadians reduce their salt consumption, which Blood Pressure Canada projects is a staggering 3500 mg of sodium per day (considerably higher than the recommended 1200 mg). The group had been