The law currently allows for a salt content of 1.4 grams per 100 grams of bread. According to the protocol which Lusa had access to, the goal is to reach 1 gram of salt per 100 grams of bread and less than 2 grams of trans fats per 100 grams of product.
The reductions will be greater and sooner for bread supplied to state schools and by the end of 2018 this bread should already contain less than 1 gram of salt per 100 grams of bread.
The Portuguese population consumes an average of 7.3 grams of salt per day which is above the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation of 5 grams per person per day. The protocol intends to reduce the amount of salt used in the salty-food industry by 10 percent.
In the case of traditional Portuguese products, the protocol establishes that the salt content reduction should be monitored and a plan for more gradual reduction drawn up. Alongside these measures a national campaign to promote bread consumption will be launched.