More than 70% of Portugal’s eight and nine-year-olds, and an even higher proportion of adolescents aged between 13 and 17, consume more than the recommended amount of salt, putting their health “at great risk”, government officials warned.
“Salt consumption is a war that we must continue to wage,” said Pedro Graça, coordinator of the National Programme for the Promotion of Healthy Eating.
According to the document, 74% of boys and 70% of girls aged seven or eight consume too much salt. Among 13 to 17-year-olds, the proportion rises to 84% among boys and 72% among girls.
Overall, salt consumption in Portugal fell between 2006 and 2012, but it continues to be the European country with the highest levels.
As Graça noted that 40% of the population has high blood pressure and high salt consumption is one of the risk factors for heart disease and strokes.
“The reduction of salt [consumption] is seen as a priority .... and excessive salt consumption is a major public health problem”, the report states. “That’s why it is necessary to define quantifiable goals for the reduction and monitoring of consumption levels.”
According to World Health Organisation recommendations, Portugal’s population should reduce its salt consumption by between 3% and 4% a year, with a view to bringing it down to 5g per head per day by 2025.