Salt Labels On Restaurant Menus Key To Fighting Heart, Kidney Disease
NEW DELHI– Salt warning labels on menus in restaurants may help diners rethink high-salt meals and make healthier choices, according to a study. This approach could also be a key strategy to combat cardiovascular diseases and kidney damage linked to high-salt diets.
In a first-of-its-kind research, a team from the University of Liverpool in the UK compared people ordering at a restaurant after seeing salt warnings with those who received a menu without warnings. The findings, published in The Lancet Public Health, indicated that warning labels effectively discouraged the selection of high-salt items. They also increased consumer awareness of salt content during ordering and significantly reduced the amount of salt actually ordered.
“Our study has found that salt warning labels on menus help people make healthier choices,” said lead author Dr. Rebecca Evans, a Postdoctoral Researcher in Psychology at the university. “Given that excess salt intake is a leading cause of diet-related disease, this kind of labeling policy could play a vital role in improving population health.”
The World Health Organization recommends less than 5 grams of salt per day (roughly under a teaspoon) or below 2g of sodium per day. Each year, 1.89 million deaths are associated with excessive salt consumption. The salt content of many common foods eaten in restaurants is very high, yet policy options to address this remain limited. Studies have proven that too much salt in the diet can increase blood sodium, trigger water retention, increase blood volume, and raise blood pressure, leading to stroke, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, osteoporosis, and obesity.
The research included both an online and a real-world randomised controlled trial (RCT), with findings supporting menu labeling as a scalable public health strategy. In the restaurant setting, 454 participants took part; those who received salt warning labelled menus ordered 12.5 per cent (0.54g) less salt on average compared to people who received menus without warning labels, the researchers stated. In the online RCT with 2,391 UK adults, salt warning labels were perceived by participants as effective in discouraging the selection of high-salt items and reduced the amount of salt ordered by 0.26g per meal.
Across both trials, labels were found to be equally effective regardless of age, sex, or education level, suggesting the intervention may be beneficial for all and therefore will not exacerbate health inequalities.
“This study demonstrates that even small nudges at the point of purchase can encourage healthier choices,” added Dr. Evans. (IANS)
