Operators to take the pledge on salt

The promises have been brokered by the British Hospitality Association as part of businesses’ efforts to encourage healthy eating among the public. They fall into three areas—around procurement, kitchen practices and meal reformulation—and will have the overarching aim of reducing daily salt consumption of consumers to the government target of 6g per person per day.

John Dyson, food and technical affairs adviser at the BHA, said: “Under the Deal, many catering companies have already pledged to reduce salt and artificial transfats, and to introduce calorie labeling on dishes—among others—but these are new pledges. We have extensively consulted with member on the aim of each pledge and how it can be best achieved. The pledges reflect the complexities of producing meals in a commercial catering operation.”

BHA chief executive Ufi Ibrahim added: “Catering companies produce over 8 billion meals a year and provide over one in six meals consumed in the UK. The industry is at the heart of the nation’s well-being and these pledges are a key element in the government’s aim to encourage people to eat more healthily. The catering industry has a vital role to play in this.”

The use of salt has been a hot topic for caterers recently. Some manufacturers have protested that the government’s demands for reduction are too much, while Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin has vocally criticized the way pubs and restaurants are blamed for salt consumption.