Contribution of major food companies and their products to household dietary sodium purchases in Australia

Abstract Background: The Australian federal government will soon release voluntary sodium reduction targets for 30 packaged food categories through the Healthy Food Partnership. Previous assessments of voluntary targets show variable industry engagement, and little is known about the extent that major food companies and their products contribute to dietary sodium purchases among Australian households. Methods: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to identify the relative contribution that food companies and their products made to Australian household sodium purchases in 2018, and to examine differences in sodium purchases by household income level. We used one year of grocery purchase data from a nationally representative consumer panel of Australian households who reported their grocery purchases (the Nielsen Homescan panel), combined with database that contains product-specific sodium content for packaged foods and beverages (FoodSwitch). The top food companies and food categories were ranked according to their contribution to household sodium purchases. Differences in per capita sodium purchases by income levels were assessed by 1-factor ANOVA. All analyses were modelled to the Australian population in 2018 using sample weights. Results: Sodium data were available from 7,188 households who purchased 26,728 unique products and purchased just under 7.5 million food product units. Out of 1,329 food companies, the top 10 accounted for 35% of unique products and contributed to 58% of all sodium purchased from packaged foods and beverages. The top three companies were grocery food retailers each contributing 12-15% of sodium purchases from sales of their private label products, particularly processed meat, cheese and bread. Out of the 67 food categories, the top 10 accounted for 73% of sodium purchased, particularly driven by purchases of processed meat (14%), bread (12%) and sauces (11%). Low-income Australian households purchased significantly more sodium from packaged products than high-income households per capita (452mg/d, 95%CI: 363-540mg/d, P<0.001). Conclusions: A small number of food companies and food categories account for most of the dietary sodium purchased by Australian households. Prioritizing government engagement with these groups could deliver a large reduction in population sodium intake.

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Contribution of major food companies and their products to household dietary sodium purchases in Australia

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity ◽

10.1186/s12966-020-00982-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Daisy H. Coyle ◽

Maria Shahid ◽

Elizabeth K. Dunford ◽

Cliona Ni Mhurchu ◽

Sarah Mckee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Sodium Intake ◽

Food Product ◽

Sodium Content ◽

Dietary Sodium ◽

Processed Meat ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Major Food ◽

Packaged Foods ◽

Per Capita

Abstract Background The Australian federal government will soon release voluntary sodium reduction targets for 30 packaged food categories through the Healthy Food Partnership. Previous assessments of voluntary targets show variable industry engagement, and little is known about the extent that major food companies and their products contribute to dietary sodium purchases among Australian households. Methods The aim of this cross-sectional study was to identify the relative contribution that food companies and their products made to Australian household sodium purchases in 2018, and to examine differences in sodium purchases by household income level. We used 1 year of grocery purchase data from a nationally representative consumer panel of Australian households who reported their grocery purchases (the Nielsen Homescan panel), combined with database that contains product-specific sodium content for packaged foods and beverages (FoodSwitch). The top food companies and food categories were ranked according to their contribution to household sodium purchases. Differences in per capita sodium purchases by income levels were assessed by 1-factor ANOVA. All analyses were modelled to the Australian population in 2018 using sample weights. Results Sodium data were available from 7188 households who purchased 26,728 unique products and purchased just under 7.5 million food product units. Out of 1329 food companies, the top 10 accounted for 35% of unique products and contributed to 58% of all sodium purchased from packaged foods and beverages. The top three companies were grocery food retailers each contributing 12–15% of sodium purchases from sales of their private label products, particularly processed meat, cheese and bread. Out of the 67 food categories, the top 10 accounted for 73% of sodium purchased, particularly driven by purchases of processed meat (14%), bread (12%) and sauces (11%). Low-income Australian households purchased significantly more sodium from packaged products than high-income households per capita (452 mg/d, 95%CI: 363-540 mg/d, P < 0.001). Conclusions A small number of food companies and food categories account for most of the dietary sodium purchased by Australian households. Prioritizing government engagement with these groups could deliver a large reduction in population sodium intake.

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Contribution of major food companies and their products to household dietary sodium purchases in Australia

10.21203/rs.2.19248/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Daisy Hannah Coyle ◽

Maria Shahid ◽

Elizabeth K Dunford ◽

Cliona Ni Mhurchu ◽

Sarah Mckee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Sodium Intake ◽

Food Product ◽

Sodium Content ◽

Dietary Sodium ◽

Processed Meat ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Major Food ◽

Packaged Foods ◽

Per Capita

Abstract Background: The Australian federal government will soon release voluntary sodium reduction targets for 30 packaged food categories through the Healthy Food Partnership. Previous assessments of voluntary targets show variable industry engagement and little is known about the extent that major food companies and their products contribute to dietary sodium purchases among Australian households. Methods: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to identify the relative contribution that food companies and their products made to Australian household sodium purchases in 2018, and to examine differences in sodium purchases by household income level. We used one year of grocery purchase data from a nationally representative consumer panel of Australian households who reported their grocery purchases (the Nielsen Homescan panel), combined with database that contains product-specific sodium content for packaged foods and beverages (FoodSwitch). The top food companies and food categories were ranked according to their contribution to household sodium purchases. Differences in per capita sodium purchases by income levels were assessed by 1-factor ANOVA. All analyses were modelled to the Australian population in 2018 using sample weights. Results: Sodium data were available from 7,188 households who purchased 26,728 unique products and purchased just under 7.5 million food product units. Out of 1,329 food companies, the top 10 accounted for 58% of all sodium purchased from packaged foods and beverages. The top three companies were grocery food retailers each contributing 12-15% of sodium purchases from sales of their private label products, particularly processed meat, cheese and bread. Out of the 67 food categories, the top 10 accounted for 73% of sodium purchased, particularly driven by purchases of processed meat (14%), bread (12%) and sauces (11%). Low-income Australian households purchased significantly more sodium from packaged products than high-income households per capita (452mg/d, 95%CI: 363-540mg/d, P<0.001). Conclusions: A small number of food companies and food categories account for most of the dietary sodium purchased by Australian households. Prioritizing government engagement with these groups could deliver a large reduction in population sodium intake.

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Contribution of Major Food Companies and Their Products to Household Dietary Sodium Purchases in Australia

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzaa067_017 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 1790-1790

Author(s):

Daisy Coyle ◽

Maria Shahid ◽

Elizabeth Dunford ◽

Cliona Ni Mhurchu ◽

Sarah Mckee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Sodium Intake ◽

Sodium Content ◽

Dietary Sodium ◽

Processed Meat ◽

Relative Contribution ◽

Packaged Foods ◽

Per Capita ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Packaged Food

Abstract Objectives To support the work of the Australian federal governments proposed sodium reformulation targets, this study sought to identify the relative contribution that different food companies and their products make to household sodium purchases in Australia. We also examined differences in household sodium purchases from packaged foods and beverages by income level. Methods We used one year of grocery purchase data from a nationally representative consumer panel of Australian households who reported their grocery purchases (the Nielsen Homescan panel), combined with a packaged food and beverage database (FoodSwitch) that contains brand- and product-specific sodium information. Outcome measures were sodium purchases per capita (mg/day), sodium density (mg/1000 kcal), and purchase-weighted sodium content (mg/100 g). The top food companies and food categories were ranked according to their contribution to household sodium purchases. Per capita sodium purchases was estimated in household income strata. All analyses were modeled to the Australian population in 2018 using sample weights. Results Sodium data were available from 7188 households who purchased 26,728 unique products and, in total, just under 7.5 million units of foods and beverages. The total sodium acquired from packaged foods and beverages was 1443 mg/day per capita. Out of 1329 food companies, the top 10 accounted for 58% of all sodium purchased from packaged foods and beverages. The top three companies were grocery food retailers each contributing 12–15% of sodium purchases from sales of their private label products, particularly processed meat, cheese and bread. Out of the 67 food categories, the top 10 accounted for 73% of sodium purchased, driven by purchases of processed meat (14%), bread (12%) and sauces (11%). Low-income Australian households purchased substantially more sodium from packaged products than high-income households per capita (220 mg/d, 95% CI: 132–307 mg/d, P < 0.001). Conclusions A small number of food companies and food categories account for the majority of dietary sodium purchased by Australian households. There is an opportunity for governments to prioritize engagement and incentivize key companies and food categories to deliver a large reduction in sodium intake and reduce cardiovascular disease. Funding Sources National Health and Medical Research Council.

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Dietary sodium intake in urban and rural Malawi, and directions for future interventions

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ◽

10.1093/ajcn/nqy125 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 108 (3) ◽

pp. 587-593 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Josephine E Prynn ◽

Louis Banda ◽

Alemayehu Amberbir ◽

Alison J Price ◽

Ndoliwe Kayuni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Salt Intake ◽

Sodium Intake ◽

Urinary Sodium ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Dietary Sodium ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Spot Urine ◽

Per Capita

ABSTRACT Background High dietary sodium intake is a major risk factor for hypertension. Data on population sodium intake are scanty in sub-Saharan Africa, despite a high hypertension prevalence in most countries. Objective We aimed to determine daily sodium intake in urban and rural communities in Malawi. Design In an observational cross-sectional survey, data were collected on estimated household-level per capita sodium intake, based on how long participants reported that a defined quantity of plain salt lasts in a household. In a subset of 2078 participants, 24-h urinary sodium was estimated from a morning spot urine sample. Results Of 29,074 participants, 52.8% of rural and 50.1% of urban individuals lived in households with an estimated per capita plain salt consumption >5 g/d. Of participants with urinary sodium data, 90.8% of rural and 95.9% of urban participants had estimated 24-h urinary sodium >2 g/d; there was no correlation between household per capita salt intake and estimated 24-h urinary sodium excretion. Younger adults were more likely to have high urinary sodium and to eat food prepared outside the home than were those over the age of 60 y. Households with a member with previously diagnosed hypertension had reduced odds (OR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.51, 0.68) of per capita household plain salt intake >5 g/d, compared with those where hypertension was undiagnosed. Conclusions Sodium consumption exceeds the recommended amounts for most of the population in rural and urban Malawi. Population-level interventions for sodium intake reduction with a wide focus are needed, targeting both sources outside the home as well as home cooking. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03422185.

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Dietary Sodium (salt) Intake and Risk of Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review (P05-039-19)

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzz030.p05-039-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mohammad Yawar Yakoob ◽

Naila Baig-ansari

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Sodium Intake ◽

Case Control ◽

Dietary Sodium ◽

Processed Meat ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

High Sodium ◽

High Sodium Intake ◽

Increased Risk

Abstract Objectives Studies have shown conflicting findings for association of processed meat with risk of colorectal cancer (CRC); with some studies showing an increased risk while others having no associations. Few studies have been done to study this association with salt (sodium) intake that is high in processed meats. Methods A comprehensive, systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed and Google.com to identify observational studies on dietary salt (sodium) intake for prevention of CRC. 1933 titles were identified and screened of which 86 abstracts were selected for full-text review; finally, 7 studies were included. Results In case-control studies from Jordan on 169 CRC cases (248 matched controls), from Siberia on 185 cases (210 matched controls), and from Greece on 250 cases (250 controls), high sodium intake was significantly associated with an increased CRC risk (highest to lowest quartile, OR = 3.42, 95% CI: 1.59–7.38; high vs. medium salt in food, OR = 3.45, 1.68–7.1; and added table salt yes vs. no, OR = 1.62, 1.05–2.49, latter got attenuated when adjusted for overall dietary habits, OR = 1.41, 0.90–2.20; respectively). However, in another case-control study from Australia on 715 cases (727 matched controls), high sodium intake was not associated with CRC (RR = 1.23, 0.9–2.4, P = 0.11). Similar for sub-group of colon cancer but significant only for rectal cancer (RR = 1.61, 1.1–2.3, P = 0.006). In a prospective cohort study from Japan on 81,578 subjects free of cancer/CVD at baseline, no association was found for sodium and CRC (highest vs. lowest quartile, HR = 1.10, 0.85–1.42, P-trend = 0.51). Other study designs have also shown increased risk. A cross-sectional study from Oman on 405 participants showed that eating food high in salt (26.8%) was a risk factor for stomach and colorectal cancer with significant associations in young age groups and with higher education. Lastly, in a comparative ecological study from South Africa, sodium intake was higher in West coast fishermen (6 CRC cases over 5 years/120,000) vs. urban Cape Town inhabitants (677/2 million). Conclusions Majority of studies were case-control design, most of which showed positive association between sodium intake and CRC. Cross-sectional/ecological studies support this. Meta-analysis needs to be done to increase sample size and explore potential heterogeneity. Funding Sources None.

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Evaluation of exposure to effervescent drugs in a large health check-up population in France: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-022368 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. e022368 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Germain Perrin ◽

Sarah Berdot ◽

Frédérique Thomas ◽

Bruno Pannier ◽

Nicolas Danchin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sodium Intake ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sodium Content ◽

Health Check ◽

Dietary Sodium ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Self Medication ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

High Sodium ◽

Factors Associated

ObjectivesThe relationship between high dietary sodium intake and hypertension is well established. Some drugs are associated with high-sodium content, particularly effervescent tablets (ETs). Despite a possible cardiovascular risk associated with the use of such drugs, observational data describing exposure to ETs in ambulatory subjects are lacking.This study aims to estimate the prevalence of exposure to ETs and to highlight factors associated with this exposure in a large French health check-up population.DesignThis was a cross-sectional study.Setting and participantsParticipants were French individuals who underwent medical check-ups at the Investigations Préventives et Cliniques centre between April and June 2017.ResultsIn total, 1043 subjects were included in the study. The prevalence of exposure to ETs in the last 30 days was 26.9% (95% CI 24.2% to 29.6%). Exposure was frequent (ie, two ETs per week or more in the last 30 days) for 7.3% of subjects. Self-medication was the major source of exposure (93.8%). Paracetamol, aspirin, vitamins and betaine accounted for 95.3% of the ETs used. The factors associated with this exposure by multivariate analysis were: male gender, Overseas French origin, depression and body mass index ≥25 kg/m2. A diagnosis of hypertension or treatment with diuretics were not protective factors against exposure to ETs.ConclusionExposure to ETs is frequent in the general population, particularly through self-medication. Clinical conditions associated with low-salt requirements were not associated with lower exposure to ETs, suggesting a lack of awareness by practitioners and patients about this iatrogenic issue.

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Cross-sectional comparisons of sodium content in processed meat and fish products among five countries: potential for feasible targets and reformulation

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046412 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. e046412

Author(s):

Yuzhu Song ◽

Yuan Li ◽

Chunlei Guo ◽

Yishan Wang ◽

Liping Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Sodium Intake ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Sodium Content ◽

Processed Meat ◽

Sodium Reduction ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Fish Products ◽

The Usa

IntroductionReducing sodium intake has been identified as a highly cost-effective strategy to prevent and control high blood pressure and reduce cardiovascular mortality. This study aims to compare the sodium content in processed meat and fish products among five countries, which will contribute to the evidence-base for feasible strategies of sodium reduction in such products.MethodsSodium content on product labels of 26 500 prepackaged products, 19 601 meat and 6899 fish, was collected in supermarkets from five countries using the FoodSwitch mobile application from 2012 to 2018. To be specific, it was 1898 products in China, 885 in the UK, 5673 in Australia, 946 in South Africa and 17 098 in the USA. Cross-sectional comparisons of sodium levels and proportions meeting 2017 UK sodium reduction targets were conducted using Kruskal-Wallis H and the χ2 test, respectively across the five countries.ResultsThe results showed that processed meat and fish products combined in China had the highest sodium level (median 1050 mg/100 g, IQR: 774–1473), followed by the USA, South Africa, Australia, with the lowest levels found in UK (432 mg/100 g, IQR: 236–786) (p<0.001). Similar variations, that is, a twofold to threefold difference of sodium content between the highest and the lowest countries were found among processed meat and fish products separately. Large sodium content variations were also found in certain specific food subcategories across the five countries, as well as across different food subcategories within each country.ConclusionProcessed meat and fish products differ greatly in sodium content across different countries and across different food subcategories. This indicates great potential for food producers to reformulate the products in sodium content, as well as for consumers to select less salted food.

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Sodium Content of Processed Foods Available in the Mexican Market

10.20944/preprints201810.0556.v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Claudia Nieto ◽

Lizbeth Tolentino-Mayo ◽

Catalina Medina ◽

Eric Monterrubio-Flores ◽

Edgar Denova-Gutiérrez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sodium Intake ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sodium Content ◽

Dietary Sodium ◽

Processed Foods ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Processed Meats ◽

Adverse Health Outcomes ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Uk

Background: Sodium intake has been related to several adverse health outcomes; such as, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Processed foods are major contributors to the population’s dietary sodium intake. The aim of the present study was to determine sodium levels in Mexican packaged foods; also to evaluate the proportion of foods that comply with sodium benchmark targets set by the UK Food Standards Agency (UK FSA) and those set by the Mexican Commission for the Protection of Health Risks (COFEPRIS). We also evaluated the proportion of foods that exceeded the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) targets. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that comprised data collected from the package of 2,248 processed foods from selected supermarkets of Mexico. Results: Many processed food categories contained excessive amount of sodium, being the processed meats (ham, bacon and sausages) those that have the highest concentrations. The proportion of foods classified as compliant in our sample was lower for international targets (FSA UK and PAHO) compared to the Mexican COFEPRIS criteria. Conclusions: These data provide a critical baseline assessment for monitoring sodium levels in Mexican processed foods.

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Sodium Levels of Processed Meat in Australia: Supermarket Survey Data from 2010 to 2017

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu10111686 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 1686 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Emalie Sparks ◽

Clare Farrand ◽

Joseph Santos ◽

Briar McKenzie ◽

Kathy Trieu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sodium Intake ◽

Meat Products ◽

Monitoring And Evaluation ◽

Sodium Content ◽

World Health ◽

Processed Meat ◽

High Sodium ◽

Processed Meats ◽

Health Organization ◽

Health Dialogue

High sodium intake increases blood pressure and consequently increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. In Australia, the best estimate of sodium intake is 3840 mg sodium/day, almost double the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline (2000 mg/day), and processed meats contribute approximately 10% of daily sodium intake to the diet. This study assessed the median sodium levels of 2510 processed meat products, including bacon and sausages, available in major Australian supermarkets in 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2017, and assessed changes over time. The median sodium content of processed meats in 2017 was 775 mg/100 g (interquartile range (IQR) 483–1080). There was an 11% reduction in the median sodium level of processed meats for which targets were set under the government’s Food and Health Dialogue (p < 0.001). This includes bacon, ham/cured meat products, sliced luncheon meat and meat with pastry categories. There was no change in processed meats without a target (median difference 6%, p = 0.450). The new targets proposed by the current government’s Healthy Food Partnership capture a larger proportion of products than the Food and Health Dialogue (66% compared to 35%) and a lower proportion of products are at or below the target (35% compared to 54%). These results demonstrate that voluntary government targets can drive nutrient reformulation. Future efforts will require strong government leadership and robust monitoring and evaluation systems.

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Sodium Sensitivity, Sodium Resistance, and Incidence of Hypertension

Hypertension ◽

10.1161/hypertensionaha.120.16758 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jiang He ◽

Jian-Feng Huang ◽

Changwei Li ◽

Jing Chen ◽

Xiangfeng Lu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sodium Intake ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

Dietary Sodium ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Incident Hypertension ◽

High Sodium ◽

Sodium Sensitivity ◽

Sodium Diet ◽

Low Sodium ◽

Increased Risk

Cross-sectional studies have reported that high sodium sensitivity is more common among individuals with hypertension. Experimental studies have also reported various animal models with sodium-resistant hypertension. It is unknown, however, whether sodium sensitivity and resistance precede the development of hypertension. We conducted a feeding study, including a 7-day low-sodium diet (1180 mg/day) followed by a 7-day high-sodium diet (7081 mg/day), among 1718 Chinese adults with blood pressure (BP) <140/90 mm Hg. We longitudinally followed them over an average of 7.4 years. Three BP measurements and 24-hour urinary sodium excretion were obtained on each of 3 days during baseline observation, low-sodium and high-sodium interventions, and 2 follow-up studies. Three trajectories of BP responses to dietary sodium intake were identified using latent trajectory analysis. Mean (SD) changes in systolic BP were −13.7 (5.5), −4.9 (3.0), and 2.4 (3.0) mm Hg during the low-sodium intervention and 11.2 (5.3), 4.4 (4.1), and −0.2 (4.1) mm Hg during the high-sodium intervention ( P <0.001 for group differences) in high sodium-sensitive, moderate sodium-sensitive, and sodium-resistant groups, respectively. Compared with individuals with moderate sodium sensitivity, multiple-adjusted odds ratios (95% CIs) for incident hypertension were 1.43 (1.03–1.98) for those with high sodium sensitivity and 1.43 (1.03–1.99) for those with sodium resistance ( P =0.006 for nonlinear trend). Furthermore, a J-shaped association between systolic BP responses to sodium intake and incident hypertension was identified ( P <0.001). Similar results were observed for diastolic BP. Our study indicates that individuals with either high sodium sensitivity or sodium resistance are at an increased risk for developing hypertension.

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