Wageningen: Consumers who lunch with products containing an average of 41% less salt accept these products and do not compensate for this lower salt consumption during the rest of the day. Low-sodium foods can therefore help to reduce daily salt intake. This is the result of research carried out by Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research, TNO and the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection (RIVM), commissioned by the Dutch Ministries of Economic Affairs and Health, Welfare & Sport.
Almost every product in the lunchtime buffet served to those in the
intervention group was replaced by an alternative containing 29 to 61%
less sodium. The study showed that participants did not eat any more or
any less, and that they enjoyed most of the products just as much. The
intervention group consumed an average of 2.5 grams less salt than the
control group, who continued to eat food with regular sodium levels. The
participants were not informed about the reduction in salt during the
study.
Sodium excretion
To check whether a reduced-sodium
lunch actually reduces total daily salt intake, the amount of sodium
excreted via the urine over 24 hours was measured in both groups. This
gives an accurate indication of how much common salt someone has
consumed. Sodium excretion dropped in line with the low salt levels in
the lunch. “We can therefore conclude that the people who ate the
reduced-sodium lunch did not compensate their lower salt intake at other
eating times during the day by eating crisps or salty liquorice, for
example,” says Dr Anke Janssen, Senior Scientist Consumer Science at
Food & Biobased Research.
Realistic test environment
The
research was conducted in the Restaurant of the Future, where the 74
participants were free to choose whatever they liked from a lunchtime
buffet every day. This real-life test environment is unusual because it
allows researchers to observe the participants’ choices unnoticed. Most
other studies into the acceptance of reduced-sodium products are carried
out in a laboratory setting, where test subjects assess the taste of
reduced-sodium varieties in a more analytical way. Repeated exposure is
not usually a part of this method. “The realistic setting leads us to
conclude that consumers can cope with substantial reductions in salt
without spoiling their enjoyment of food,” says Janssen.
Reformulating foods
The
randomised controlled trial involving 74 healthy young adults between
18 and 35 years of age was part of the Reformulating Foods project.
Various Dutch food producers developed reduced-sodium lunch products for
the study in collaboration with TNO.
