A new
study shows the vast majority of parents are unaware of the salt levels
present in their children’s breakfast cereals, with health experts
worried they could be easily exceeding recommended salt intake levels on
a daily basis
In
a study released today, 85% of parents didn’t factor in salt content
when choosing breakfast cereals for their children. Many might ask why
they would, when hot debate in this category has been focused on sugar
(leaving salt levels largely unnoticed). But with cereal manufacturers
under
increasing pressure to reduce sugar levels in their products, the two
issues aren’t mutually exclusive: salt enhances sweetness.
With two
thirds of children eating cereal every day for breakfast, and salt
levels still worryingly high in popular cereal choices and other
mainstream foods (an innocent homemade ham sandwich* provides over 50%
of this age group’s 3 gram daily allowance of salt), experts are
concerned that parents could be struggling to bring their children’s
diets in at the recommended levels.
The YouGov
research, commissioned by healthy
food brand
BEAR on their launch of
the first salt and refined sugar free cereal for children, saw 41% of
parents whose youngest child was between 4-6 years old, guessing
a maximum daily salt allowance for this child to be higher than the
recommended maximum
amount. 12% guessed this to be 3-6 times higher.
The need for
a salt free start to the day is crucial to reduce future risk of strokes
and heart attacks but the more pressing concern during childhood is that
a high salt intake leads to loss of calcium, therefore thinning bones
and putting children at serious risk of developing diseases like
osteoporosis.
Katherine
Jenner, Campaign Director of CASH (Consensus Action on Salt & Health)
says
that research
has shown that we only develop a liking for salt through eating salt in
food which is why it is important not to give children salty tasting
foods.
A reduction
of salt intakes across the UK population by just 1 gram a day is
estimated to prevent 6,000 strokes and heart attacks a year as well as
have other health benefits for the population. Salt is not needed in
cereal.
