Foodwatch urges stricter limits on salt in Dutch processed foods
Dutch consumer watchdog Foodwatch is renewing its call for stronger regulations on the amount of salt in processed foods, warning that voluntary measures by the food industry have not significantly reduced salt intake, according to NOS.
Nearly all adults in the Netherlands consume more salt than recommended. While sodium is essential for the human body, excessive intake is linked to a wide range of health problems, including high blood pressure, kidney damage, and cardiovascular disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a maximum intake of 5 grams of salt per day—roughly one teaspoon. Dutch guidelines from the Voedingscentrum and the Health Council allow up to 6 grams per day. Almost all adults in the Netherlands exceed this limit. Adult men under 50 are the highest consumers, averaging about 8 grams daily.
Recent research by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) shows that individuals are indeed adding less salt when cooking or at the table.
Approximately 15 years ago, 21 percent of total salt intake came from “self-added” salt; today that figure has dropped to 15 percent.
However, the remaining 85 percent—up from 79 percent in 2008—comes from salt already present in processed foods. Food manufacturers commonly add salt as a flavor enhancer or preservative. Bread and grain products, meat, and dairy are the main sources of dietary salt in the Netherlands.
Since 2014, the Ministry of Health has repeatedly made agreements with food manufacturers to reduce salt and sugar in their products. At the time, manufacturers committed to gradually lowering the salt content in processed meats by 10 percent within a few years. However, the RIVM concluded that even these modest reductions fell far short of what would be considered healthy.
Foodwatch is urging that the task of reducing salt in foods should not be left to the industry alone. The organization advocates for legally binding maximum limits on salt in processed products.
The current voluntary framework, the National Approach to Product Improvement (Nationale Aanpak Productverbetering, NAPV), encourages manufacturers to make products healthier to achieve a better Nutri-Score. Foodwatch’s interim evaluation shows that these voluntary agreements have not yet driven significant changes.
