The bakery sector now hopes to reach a maximum content of 1.4 grams of salt/100 grams in common breads in October 2023 (AFP/Archives/ALAIN JOCARD)
Salt levels in common breads such as the baguette have decreased “by more than 20%” since 2015, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, meeting the first objective of the reduction plan announced by the bakery industry in 2022.
“The efforts of the entire sector have made it possible to reduce the salt content in common breads by more than 20% compared to that measured in 2015. These good results must now be extended to all types of bread,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
At the Agricultural Show in March 2022, the bakery sector, which brings together millers, artisan bakers, manufacturers and distributors, committed to reducing the salt content in all categories of bread by 10% by 2025.
For common and traditional breads, such as the baguette, one of the intermediate objectives of the professionals was not to exceed the threshold of 1.5 grams of salt per 100 grams of bread in July 2022.
According to a report by the Food Observatory, 82.5% of the common and traditional breads analyzed are “in accordance with this commitment, regardless of the regions and the distribution channels”, reported the ministry.
“The average salt content of the breads analyzed is 1.34 g/100 g, which corresponds to a decrease of more than 20% compared to the average content of 1.7 g/100 g measured in 2015”, he detailed.
According to the press release, the bakery sector now hopes to reach in October 2023 a maximum content of 1.4 grams of salt / 100 grams in common breads, 1.3 g / 100 g for wholemeal or cereal breads, and 1.2 g / 100 g for sandwich breads.
The member states of the World Health Organization, including France, have pledged to “reduce salt consumption by 30% by 2025”.
According to the UN agency, “a salt intake of less than 5 grams per day in adults helps to lower blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and myocardial infarction”.
© 2023 AFP
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