Malaysia’s Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has recently advised food industry players to comply with the Food Act 1983 and the Food (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulation 2020 that makes the labelling of salt content in food and drink products mandatory.
This is necessary for consumers to understand fully the nutritional content of a food product while they seek healthier options. Dr Noor Hisham said that based on a recent supermarket study, only half of food products displayed salt content on their nutritional labels.
Dr Noor Hisham said, “The Health Ministry will focus mainly on food industry players by providing education and continued assistance to ensure they are committed in reformulating their food and drink products to reduce the salt content,” he said in a statement in conjunction with the World Salt Awareness Week celebration.
WHO has earlier warned that an estimated 11 million deaths worldwide are linked to unhealthy diets with 3 million of those attributed to high salt intake. High salt intake causes high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, cancer and kidney problem, added Dr Noor Hisham.
Dr Noor Hisham also reminded consumers to be aware of other hidden salt intake like sodium nitrate, sodium bicarbonate and monosodium glutamate (MSG), and to choose products with less or low salt in their labels in addition to using the healthy choice logo (HCL) as a guide.
Malaysians need to revert back to natural flavors such as garlic, turmeric, ginger, coriander and lime in their dishes, and to reduce the use of salt, sauces and flavourings like MSG, ready-to-use pastes, stock cubes or granules.
