Dietitians Support Putting The Pinch On Salt, Canada

(Medical News Today) The release today of the Sodium Reduction Strategy for Canada is welcomed by Dietitians of Canada (DC) as a roadmap for promoting the health of Canadians by focusing on a major public health issue in Canada – high sodium intake. DC supports the interim target recommended in the Strategy to reduce the population average sodium intake from 3400 mg to 2300 mg by 2016. The ultimate goal is to lower sodium intake for as many people as possible below 2300 mg per day.

Dietitians of Canada is a member of the Sodium Working Group [SWG] that released the report today and was one of the signatories to a National Sodium Policy spearheaded by Blood Pressure Canada almost 3 years ago. “Dietitians are committed to supporting the report recommendations and will continue to provide our expertise in food product development and food service, consumer education, healthy public policy and research to help achieve these targets,” says Lynda Corby, Policy Consultant with Dietitians of Canada.

“We recognize that achieving the sodium target set by the SWG will not be an easy task, given that the average intake of sodium is more than twice the level recommended for good health,” continues Corby. “Canadians will need to eat fewer processed foods and restaurant meals high in sodium and food manufacturers and the food service industry will need to reduce the sodium in food products. Many food manufacturers are already taking positive steps. The integrated, multi-pronged strategy recommended by the SWG has proven to be effective in other countries such as the United Kingdom and DC believes such an approach will be effective in Canada.”

Dietitians are hard at work to help Canadians achieve a healthier lifestyle. Examples include supporting the school community and workplaces to develop nutrition guidelines, including lower sodium content of foods served, and advocating for nutrition labelling on restaurant menus to aid consumers in making better choices.

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