A pinch less salt makes a big difference

It’s no news that too much salt in the diet is a bad thing for health. What can be surprising to learn is the dramatic effect when the salt in bread is reduced by just a small amount.

A study initiated by the Vaasan group marketing team in Finland has found a significant effect on cardiovascular disease if the average salt level in bread is cut from 1.2 to 1.1%. The findings point to around 460 fewer cases of arterial disease over the next 10 years.

Salt policy

This is the background for the Finnish organisation’s salt policy. By 2018, the goal is to reduce the salt content of all fresh and bake-off bread products sold in Finland by 10%.

Bread is a significant source of salt in the average Finnish diet, accounting for 17% of all salt consumed. Finland is not alone, though. In Norway, for example, 22% of salt intake comes from bread.

Reduction in silence

In the bakery, the challenge is that salt is important to the taste and texture of bread. Previous experience has shown that low-salt bread is typically not a commercial success because many consumers like a salty flavour.

The EAT Initiative

Lantmännen is a business partner of the EAT Initiative, an international consortium of government, universities and research institutions, foundations, NGOs and businesses.

The vision is to transform the global food system to provide a healthy population of nine billion people with sustainable nourishment by mid-century.