RIYADH — The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) announced that Saudi Arabia entered the list of the leading countries in the world in terms of the lowest consumption of salt, according to a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO). Saudi Arabia has also emerged as the top country in the Arab world and in the region in enacting legislation and procedures to reduce excessive consumption of salt with the aim of improving the nutritional value of food products and enhancing nutrition patterns in society to maintain the health of both citizens and expatriates. The SFDA has worked in recent years to urge food manufacturers and importers to reduce the salt content of 24 food items by enacting maximum guiding limits for salt in food products. It also imposed a number of measures on food manufacturers and importers, the most important of which is setting a mandatory limit for the salt content in all types of bread, with the ratio of one gram per 100 grams of bread. It has also set a mandatory limit for the amount of salt in infant and child food, as well as in milk drinks so that it does not exceed one gram per 100 milliliters. The SFDA is carrying out field surveys and developing strategies to gradually reduce the per capita consumption of salt through several stages to address chronic diseases resulting from its consumption, as it is a major cause of high blood pressure and subsequent strokes and heart diseases leading to death. Recent reports from international organizations revealed that there are very high rates of salt consumption in the Middle East, with the average per capita consumption exceeding 12 grams per day. In this context, the WHO recommended that the countries shall take the necessary measures to reduce salt consumption to 5 grams per day in a gradual and moderate manner, which enhances the public health of the society.
