The government has axed another key plank in its salt strategy after opposition from retailers and health groups, The Grocer can reveal.
As part of the strategy, unveiled by former health minister Anna Soubry last April, which aimed to cut salt consumption by a quarter, the DH planned to launch a list of “essential targets” for salt reduction that all companies would be expected to reach, while allowing companies to choose from an optional list of “business-specific targets”.
It is understood the plan fell apart following heated discussions between retailers, suppliers, the DH and NGOs last month.
Retailers claimed the move would mean they would be expected to shoulder the burden of making more progress on salt reduction - which has slowed dramatically over the past couple of years, as suppliers have complained of insurmountable technical barriers - while NGOs complained that the move would lead to a two-tier system allowing some suppliers off the hook.
The DH has now decided to push ahead with new targets under identical timeframes for all 85 product areas covered by the salt strategy, with the proposed targets expected to be finalised in the next few months.
Its latest move is yet another climbdown from its original strategy. In October, it axed plans for all new products to be given new salt targets, claiming it had turned out to be too complex to police.
“If you look at the results for salt reduction in 2012 there were some companies that have done substantially more than others and some that are way behind the rest. Our members felt it was very unfair if some of the products were made essential targets while others were allowed to have more time having in some cases been far behind the 2012 targets, It makes more sense for it to be done with the same timeframe,” said BRC deputy dirctor of food Andrea Martinez-Inchausti.
Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of Consensus Action on Salt and Health, added: “The idea of having different rules for different categories was bonkers.”
“The UK has seen a world-leading campaign to reduce salt levels in food and to have a plan which would have meant some products being priorities while others were allowed to go at a much slower rate was ridiculous.”
The DH has still not decided whether the new targets will cover the next three or next four years, but in November The Grocer revealed the government had decided to freeze, or in some cases even lower, the targets for a raft of products, including bacon, sausages and pasties, because of the technical problems faced by companies in lowering salt.
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