From the cottage to the bamba: less salt in your food

If you felt that Tara's cottage or Assam's Bamba are a little less salty, it is no accident - since 2012, a national program has been operating in Israel to reduce sodium in food, and the major manufacturers are reducing the amount of salt. On the other hand, even if you did not feel a reduction in salinity - it is not by chance. The idea is a gradual reduction, so as not to harm the taste of the products. Thus, Basm reduced the amount of sodium in bamba by 7%, and in chilled salads such as tahini and grilled eggplant (under the Sabar brand) by 20% on average.

In Tivol (corn schnitzel) products, also marketed by Assem, the amount of sodium was reduced by 9.5%, and tomato sauces and soy sauces are also less salty. Strauss also led a similar process in many products, such as ski cheese and hummus and eggplant salads (under the Achla brand). , and the company is in the process of reducing the sodium in licorice snacks and potato chips.

Tara Masada has reduced the amount of sodium in dairy products, including cottage cheese, Bulgarian cheese, 5% cream cheese, and more, and Tnuva has also reduced the sodium in cottage cheese by an average of 10% - without receiving any complaints consumers. For its part, Unilever Masada, which markets the Knorr brand, has reduced the sodium in various soups.

Another brand of the company - Thelma - also today offers much less sodium in Miocal products (up to 33% less). The national nutritional program - shared with the Ministry of Health and the Ministries of Education and Sports - came out It started two and a half years ago and is not unique to Israel. In the US it is called Let's move!, in other countries it is called Let's live and in Israel - "Paschibaria".

The idea is a national plan to instill a healthier lifestyle, among other things with habits for sports activity and proper nutrition - which has become a necessity in Western society. The difference is that ours ran out of budget two months ago and is now on the verge of closing. The program was initially budgeted at NIS 26 million per year, with the intention of running it until 2020 with budgets to be approved at each time period. In 2014 the budget ran out and the plan was not discussed within the state budget.

"The decision to start with a plan to reduce salt, and not with an organized plan to reduce the use of sugar, for example, was due to the fact that the health dangers inherent in excess consumption of salt are less well known to the public. Among other things, this is a risk of hypertension, an increase in the incidence of stroke, and cardiovascular diseases." Today the move was conducted under the radar, to accustom the Israeli palate to a reduced consumption of salt without opposition or damage to the sales of the food companies," explains the head of public health services at the Ministry of Health, Prof. Itamar Grotto.

According to Dr. Ronit Andwalt, director of the nutrition department at the Ministry of Health, in the modern age, characterized by salt consumption higher than the health recommendations (1.5-2 times), the receptors of the tongue for the salty taste are in a state of saturation: "Even when consuming very salty food, we do not feel the sensation of saltiness. About 75% of salt consumption comes from processed and purchased food, about 10% is found naturally in food and about 15% of the salt comes from home salting and salt that is added to food during cooking. We estimate the average salt intake for an adult to be about 9 grams per day. Our recommendation is to reduce it to an average of 6 grams per day."

If you translate these values into teaspoons, these are the quantities: children in Israel consume 12 grams of salt per day, which is equivalent to two teaspoons, while adults consume 9 grams per day - one and a half teaspoons of salt - and this when the recommendation is for 6 grams per day on average.

The program, which is implemented in 32 countries in the world, and just before the budget runs out, today (Tuesday) the Ministry of Health convened a press conference. "Initially there was talk of a budget of 26 million per year for five years," Professor Grotto explained. In practice we received 26 million shekels in 2012, 10 million in 2013 and zero budget in 2014. A large part of the budget was used to encourage physical activity. The costs of the change in production applied to the companies. The budget was dedicated to activities in schools and kindergartens, and to activities with local authorities to invest in bike paths, for example."

Why do we need a national plan and we can't be satisfied with recommendations for the population? Because of the consumption of processed food at a rate of 75%. According to dietitian Rona Shaffer, who was appointed to manage and coordinate the activity at the Ministry of Health, the goal is a gradual reduction of 3 grams per day by 2020: "The main contributors to sodium consumption are foods that we eat frequently, such as cheeses, breads and cereals. This is hidden sodium, because which are not foods that taste salty." It should be noted that at the beginning the Ministry of Health debated whether to force the manufacturers to reduce sodium by setting mandatory standards, or to act through consensus and dialogue. ) to avoid opposition among consumers, it was decided to proceed gradually in all 11 defined categories: milk and its products, salads, salty and sweet pastries, preserves, stews, etc., and timetables were established for a gradual reduction of salt at a rate of 2.5%-10% over a period of up to three years

The first food category that was focused on by the Possibilary activity was bread of all kinds, and today breads that meet the requirements are emblazoned with the symbol "Possibilary". The criterion states that bread to be defined as healthy must contain at least 80% wholemeal flour, no more than 400 mg of sodium (per 100 grams), and no more than 250 calories (per 100 grams). the bread production procedures and to develop new, salt-reduced breads. The evidence for this is that 11 bakeries have received permission to carry the possible healthy mark on 66 bread, pita and bun products. The character does not cost money like the other characters.

Anyone who wants and meets the criteria will receive it," says Shaffer. The bakeries include Angel, Berman, Deganit Ein Haber, Davidovich and more. According to her, the Shufersel chain cooperates and develops foods according to the criteria, and small producers who want to join should proactively contact the office : "There are small bakeries turned away from their initiative, for example Pita Express which produces small pitas, and also the Aroma Israel chain, because it is not just bakeries but also entities that sell bread, such as Kibbutz Einat's sandwiches that are sold at gas stations."

In the next phase, the program should focus on meat and poultry, with the goal being to reduce the amount of sodium that is mainly due to training needs.

The criteria will be established in accordance with the regulations established by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the Chief Rabbinate and the Ministry of Agriculture, so that the kashrut process will not be compromised. According to the Ministry of Health, the average consumption of chicken is 150 grams per day. The office expects a 70% reduction in the sodium content of the Moch, Sher chicken, which will result in a reduction of 450 mg of sodium on average (a reduction of one gram of salt per day on average) - a third of the target for 2020. Slaughterhouses that meet the conditions will receive the possible healthy mark.