Salt Awareness Week 2010salt awareness week poster

Salt Awareness Week will be from the 1-7 February 2010, with the theme “Salt and Your Health”, with an aim to raise awareness that a high salt diet can not only lead to high blood pressure, but to osteoporosis, obesity, stomach cancer, kidney stones, and stroke. Please email the AWASH team at edunford@george.org.au if you would like any further information or to order a Salt Awareness Pack.
More AWASH resources

The Science of Salt: Industry innovation and best practice in reducing salt in foods

ILSI SEAR Australasia and the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology held a symposium entitled The Science of Salt: Industry innovation and best practice in reducing salt in foods on the 2nd July at The George Institute for International Health in Sydney. Click here to find out further information and to view speakers' presentations from the day.

Death by pizza

A new analysis has revealed that 94% of pizzas sold in Australia are overloaded with salt. More about: Death by pizza - A new analysis has revealed that 94% of pizzas sold in Australia are overloaded with salt.

Salt in the diet: the elephant in the room: why health professionals need a shake up.

A Symposium held under the auspices of the Australian Academy of Science, sponsored by The Nutrition Society of Australia, Sydney Group, which aims to raise consumer and health professional's awareness of the health consequences of our excessive salt intake and disseminate strategies that can be implemented at a federal, state and community level to reduce dietary salt intake. More about: Salt in the diet: the elephant in the room: why health professionals need a shake up.

two girls eating hamburgersHow much salt are we eating?

Australian adults eat an average of 9 grams of salt each day - much more salt than the 1 gram or so that we need, and far more than is healthy.

AWASH is aiming to reduce salt consumption by Australians to an average of 6 grams each day.

Recently there has been some confusion surrounding correct estimates of current Australian salt intakes.Click here to read AWASH's statement on Australian salt intakes.

AWASH supports the Government's National Preventive Health Task Force in considering tough proposals to improve diets

The Australian Government's National Preventative Health Task Force has released a paper entitled "Australia: the healthiest country by 2020" that includes recommendations such as the consideration of tax incentives and disincentives to encourage the production and consumption of healthier foods.

AWASH believes that the food industry is a key player and should be collaborating with government on this important initiative.

Said Professor Bruce Neal, Chair of AWASH and Senior Director, The George Institute for International Health: "Australians are eating dangerously high levels of salt. Salt reduction and other nutrition initiatives should be seen as a key priority alongside smoking and alcohol prevention. Banning foods is not prudent but tough measures to control the amount of salt in foods should be considered. Kraft and other companies need to do more to reduce salt levels in all foods, including vegemite."

Vegemite contains over 3000mg sodium (7.5grams of salt) per hundred grams - six times the amount in a classified high salt food.

Vegemite on toast or a vegemite sandwich contains about a gram of salt which is around 20% of an older child's recommended daily amount.

For further information on salt in children's foods, and the Australian Food and Grocery Council response to the publication, see the following links:

Lower salt, better health

Eating salt can raise your blood pressure, which increases your risk of strokes and heart attacks at any age.

AWASH aims to reduce the amount of salt being consumed by Australians.