Systematic Review on International Salt Reduction Policy in Restaurants

Abstract

As the catering sector has increasingly contributed to population-level salt intake, many countries have begun developing salt-reduction strategies for restaurants. This paper aims to provide an overview of global salt reduction policies in restaurants. Scientific papers and website materials were systematically searched from Web of Science, Science Direct, and PubMed, as well as official websites of government departments and organizations. A total of 78 full-text papers and grey literature works were included. From 58 countries and regions, 62 independent policies were identified, 27 of which were mandatory (3 with fines). The most common strategy was menu labeling, which was a component of 40 policies. Target setting (n = 23) and reformulation (n = 13) of dishes were also widely implemented. Other salt-reduction strategies included education campaign, chef training, toolkits delivery, table salt removal, media campaign, and government assistance such as free nutrition analysis and toolkits distribution. Most policies focused on chain restaurants. Evaluations of these policies were limited and showed inconsistent results, and more time is needed to demonstrate the clear long-term effects. Attention has been paid to salt reduction in restaurants around the world but is still at its early stage. The feasibility and effectiveness of the strategies need to be further explored.

Sodium Reduction in Restaurant Food: A Randomized Controlled Trial in China

“…A systematic review on international sodium reduction policies in restaurants showed that menu labeling, target setting, and reformulation were the most popular strategies. However, the evaluations of these policies were limited and showed inconsistent results [20]. Menu labeling and target-setting are usually implemented in chain restaurants in Western countries, but seeming to be difficult to work for most restaurants in China.…”

Use of Microencapsulation of Aromatic Plants and Spices as a Strategy for Salt Reduction for Food and Cooking

“…Reduction of salt consumption is an important public health strategy, with implication on individual health, stroke and cardiovascular mortality and health system costs. Some strategies for the reduction of salt consumption act on population level, emphasizing recommendations and nutrition education while others have tried to work on the development of salt replacers or substitution, with variable success (Cappuccio, Capewell, He, & MacGregor, 2013; Curtis, Clapp, Niederman, Ng, & Angell, 2016;Ding et al, 2020;Liem et al, 2011;Riches, Aveyard, Piernas, Rayner, & Jebb, 2019;Santos et al, 2017). Our study aimed to test a product obtained from microencapsulation of aromatic plants and spices (Serrano et al, 2020), on real context catering service, directed at children and adult population.…”

“…Excessive salt consumption has been recognized as a worldwide health problem for several years (He & MacGregor, 2014;Li, 2019;Organization, 2020;Wilson et al, 2016;Wong et al, 2017). Several efforts have been made in different countries to reduce salt consumption (Ding et al, 2020;Folta et al, 2019;Graça, 2013;He, Tan, Ma, & MacGregor, 2020;Kilcast & Angus, 2007;Santos et al, 2017;Toldrá & Barat, 2012), but despite all these initiatives populations still consume salt above the recommended levels (Organization, 2020). There is enough evidence linking excessive salt consumption with several diseases, especially cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke, and cardiac related diseases (He, Li, & MacGregor, 2013;Li, 2019;Populations et al, 2013;Zhu et al, 2014), thus supporting the need to reduce salt consumption (Webb et al, 2017;Wilson et al, 2016).…”

Cultural factors and low‐salt consumption: A mixed methods approach

“…Therefore, a general decrease in salt intake could significantly depend on adequate interventions in collective catering settings, where consumers tend to substantially underestimate the sodium content of their meals (Hoppu et al, 2017; Santos et al, 2021). As emphasized by Hoppu et al (2017) and Ding et al (2020), few studies have focused on the consumer acceptance of reduced‐sodium foods in catering services, but some encouraging results from an experimental real‐life canteen study have shown that the consumption of reduced‐sodium lunches—from slight to moderate versions of sodium‐reduced options—is acceptable to consumers and decreases daily sodium intake. Other studies at worksite cafeterias have shown that improving taste and diversifying menus could further encourage consumers to choose low‐salt meals (Lee & Park, 2015).…”