National Salt Awareness Week 2008 - Salt and Children
28th January to 3rd February 2008
Consensus Action on Salt and Health ( CASH ) launched its 9th National Salt Awareness Week on Monday 28 th January - Sunday 3 rd February 2008 . The focus for the Week was salt and children, highlighting the huge amount of salt that children are eating, the upper limits that they should be eating, and the long-term health implications of eating a high salt diet in childhood.
A media release was issued during the Week highlighting that many foods eaten by UK children still contain large amounts of salt, in some cases more than half the daily maximum limit for a 6 year old in a single serving. The media release also revealed the results of research carried out with Netmums, a leading parenting website, showing that many parents are confused about which foods contain salt.
On the 30th January a lunchtime reception was held at the House of Commons, chaired by Mary Creagh, MP for Wakefield , Denby Dale and Kirkburton. There were around 100 guests including MPs, Peers and representatives from retailers, food manufacturers, caterers, charities, Department of Health (DH), the Food Standards Agency (FSA), media and other stakeholders. Speakers at the reception included Mrs Dawn Primarolo, Minister of State for Public Health, Professor Graham MacGregor, Chairman of CASH , Ian Reynolds, Deputy Chair of the Food Standards Agency and Cathy Court , Director of Food and Nutrition, Netmums.
Click here for the National Salt Awareness Week press release 2008
Media Coverage
CASH achieved widespread coverage of the Salt Awareness Week 2008 messages across press, radio, TV and online. In total, we estimate that the media coverage of Salt Awareness Week 2008 achieved in excess of 130 million opportunities to see/hear.
The story was covered in depth by GMTV on the morning of the 28 th January and Channel 5 News featured our story in its lunchtime news programme. Additionally, 20 radio interviews and over 50 pieces of further radio editorial were broadcast. We held a live webchat TV programme on 12 websites with a combined audience of 14,069,645 and a video feature explaining where salt can be hidden in children's foods appeared on a further 4 websites with a combined audience of 282,000.
In the press, the Independent ran a double page spread and The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Express, The Mirror and The Metro also ran news stories on the CASH survey of high salt children's foods. Coverage in the online versions of these papers added to our audience figures considerably.
In addition to the national press coverage, there was extensive regional press coverage, and many reports in online food industry websites and news services.
Several food companies and health-related bodies marked Salt Awareness Week with their own press releases and news items on their websites. Trading Standards officers also achieved coverage of projects to reduce the amount of salt added to fish and chips, tied in with National Salt Awareness Week.
Click here to view the full media coverage received for National Salt Awareness Week 2008
Supporters and sponsors of National Salt Awareness Week 2008
Thank you to our supporting organisations: British Heart Foundation; Blood Pressure Association; the Food Standards Agency; Heart Research UK; the Irish Heart Foundation; MEND; the National Federation of Women's Institutes and the UK Public Health Association.
Thank you to organisations that listed the Week on their website or newsletter: British Cardiovascular Society, British Heart Foundation, Carmarthenshire County Council, Count me in - UK campaigns calendar, Durham County Council, Faculty of Public Health, Heart UK, Isle Of Man Government, Food and Health News produced by Leicestershire Nutrition and Dietetic Service on behalf of the Leicestershire and Rutland Strategic Food and Health Group, Mary Creagh MP, Men's Health Forum, Net Mums, Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke Association, Southwark PCT NHS Trust, St George's Hospital website, Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards, West Lothian Council, West Sussex PCT, Whittington Hospital NHS Trust, University of Edinburgh Health and Safety Department.
Thank you to our corporate supporters of the Week: Asda, Brakes, Heinz, Marks & Spencer, McCain, Pizza Hut, Sainsbury's, The Cooperative Group, Waitrose and Walkers, who have all demonstrated a commitment to salt reduction in their products.
Thank you to our supporter Trudie Goodwin, (Sergeant June Ackland, The Bill) "I have two daughters, now in their early twenties, and have always believed that I brought them up on a healthy diet, never adding salt to their meals. Recently however I have been horrified to learn just how much salt is hidden in food I assumed was salt-free and how much is being consumed, unknowingly, by very young children. What has scared me most is that the food culprits are not necessarily the obvious ones and that it's still extremely difficult for an ordinary, caring parent to get clear and honest information on added, hidden salt. I therefore have no hesitation in supporting this campaign."
Thank you to all the health care professionals that collectively organised nearly 300 supporting events held nationally. Click here for a full list of supporting events held nationally. (This will link to a new page detailing number of events, quotes from people and a list of events).
World Salt Awareness Week
For the first time, in 2008 21 other countries also held a National Salt Awareness Week including Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Finland, Georgia, India, Israel, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Portugal, Serbia, Turkey and US.
Click here to link to the World Salt Awareness Week website.