Salt levels in common breads such as baguettes have decreased by “more than 20%” since 2015, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, meeting the first target of the reduction plan announced by the bakery industry in 2022.
“The effort of the entire sector has made it possible to reduce the salt content in common breads by more than 20% compared to what was measured in 2015. These good results must now be extended to all types of bread,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
At the Agricultural Show in March 2022, the bakery sector, which brings together millers, artisan bakers, industrialists and distributors, committed to reducing the salt content in all bread categories by 10% by 2025. For common and traditional breads, such as baguettes, one of the intermediate objectives of professionals was not to exceed the threshold of 1.5 grams of salt per 100 grams of bread by July 2022.
Reduce salt intake by 30% by 2025
According to a report by the Food Observatory, 82.5% of the common and traditional breads analyzed are “in accordance with this commitment, regardless of the regions and distribution channels,” the ministry reported. “The average salt content of the breads analyzed is 1.34 g/100 g, which corresponds to a decrease of more than 20% compared to the average content of 1.7 g/100 g measured in 2015,” he explained.
According to the press release, the bakery sector now expects to reach a maximum salt content of 1.4 grams/100 grams in common bread, 1.3 g/100 g for whole wheat or cereal bread, and 1.2 g/100 g for sliced bread by October 2023. Member states of the World Health Organization, including France, have pledged to “reduce salt consumption by 30% by 2025.”
According to the UN agency, “a salt intake of less than 5 grams per day in adults helps reduce blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and myocardial infarction.”
Source: BFM TV
