Salt killing 1,000 per year in North alone, says charity
Up to 1,000 people are dying from excessive salt intake in the North every year, a charity said today.
Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS) is blaming over-indulgence for a quarter of stroke and a fifth of heart deaths.
The intervention followed a British Medical Journal study underpinning the link between salt and high blood pressure.
NICHS chief executive Andrew Dougal said: "Food manufacturers must make a commitment to their customers that they will consistently, over a period of time, slash the salt in products."
He added heart disease was the largest killer in the North at 4,000 deaths each year.
Stroke is the third largest, responsible for 1,500 deaths and physical disability in many who survive.
The Medical Journal study showed people who significantly cut back on the amount of salt in their diet reduced their chances of developing cardiovascular disease by a quarter over 10-15 years.
It revealed the risk of dying fell by a fifth.
The findings followed trials on 3,126 people. A team from Boston in the US discovered that those who cut back tended to stick to a lower salt diet in the long-term.
The ideal daily intake of salt is no more than six grams and ministers want everyone to achieve this by 2010.
Mr Dougal claimed 13 large food companies and supermarkets last year abandoned the system recommended by the Food Standards Agency to inform customers.
He added: "Three quarters of the salt which we eat is already in the food we purchase.
"Food manufacturers must ensure that an easily understood system of food labelling empowers shoppers to make healthy eating choices."
