The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has today released ‘FSA Salt’, a free application for the iPhone or iPod Touch to help consumers plan, calculate and monitor their daily salt consumption when shopping and on the go. The salt calculator application, which has been developed in conjunction with the FSA’s salt reduction programme, is also accessible by web enabled mobiles at www.food.gov.uk/saltapp

The concept behind the FSA Salt Application is to make healthy choices easier, whether in the supermarket or corner shop.

How it works
•   Simply look at the label
•   Select the appropriate level of salt per 100g and weight of serving from the scale provided
•   The simple traffic light system, reveals instantly if it’s a healthy, low salt option or something to be enjoyed only every once in a while. 

There is also information on salt intake for children of different ages and you can even shake the phone for tips on how to reduce your salt level. [1] Such as:
“Add flavour to cooking with garlic, herbs and lemon instead of salt.”
“Go easy with soy sauce, mustard, pickles and mayonnaise – these can all be high in salt.”
   
Although a recent FSA survey found that more than 1 in 3 (37%) respondents were either ‘very concerned’ or ‘quite concerned’ about the amount of salt they eat, every day 26 million adults in the UK eat too much salt. The average UK daily salt consumption is 8.6g –over 40% more than the recommended 6g a day (even less for children).

The survey also revealed that over three quarters of people (77%) are not aware that bread and breakfast cereals are among the top salt-contributing foods in our diet.

Rosemary Hignett, Head of Nutrition at the Food Standards Agency, said:

“We‘ve been working closely with food manufacturers and retailers to encourage them to use less salt in their foods, and are pleased with the progress that is being made. But it’s not always easy to keep track of how it all adds up - particularly for busy people on the go. In launching the new salt app we are hoping to make it easier people to keep track of how much salt they are eating.

“The thing to remember is that the foods that contribute the most salt to our diets are not necessarily the saltiest, but the ones we eat most often.

If you eat four slices of bread a day, you could reduce how much salt you eat by up to gram a day, simply by switching from the brand with the highest salt to the one with the lowest.

“We’re not suggesting people stop eating or even cut down on bread or breakfast cereals, as they are important part of a healthy diet.  But we are saying take a look at the labels to find one that is lower in salt. This could be a supermarket own-label product, and maybe one from the ‘value’ range. If so, any cost saving is an added bonus.” Said Rosemary Hignett.

The application has been developed for the FSA by leading digital marketing and technology agency LBi.

How to get the application:
For iPhones and iPod Touch:
Go to the iTunes App Store and search for FSA Salt
Click on the “Free” button and then “Install”
Get started!

For other web-enabled mobiles:
Visit www.food.gov.uk/saltapp (from Monday 5th October)
and Get started!

[1] Only available on iPhone or iPod Touch application