Global sodium reduction policies: current strategies and opportunities for population-level cardiovascular risk reduction
1
Food Science and Nutrition Department, School of Food Engineering, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
2
The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A3008
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Hypertension is a major global public health challenge and a leading cause of cardiovascular mortality (1, 2). Excessive sodium intake significantly increases cardiovascular risk and health system costs (3, 5), and despite public health strategies implemented worldwide, population-level consumption remains above recommended limits (6,7).
METHODS:
This Organized Session proposes to evaluate existing public policies for sodium reduction and to discuss feasible strategies at the macro, meso, and micro (individual) levels to support the development of sustainable and effective public health interventions.
RESULTS:
Current policy strategies include food reformulation, consumer education, front-of-pack labelling, interventions in public institutional settings such as schools, hospitals, and workplaces, taxation of high-salt products (8), and switching discretionary salt to potassium-enriched salt (9). The reformulation of industrialized foods has been adopted through mandatory sodium targets for bread in Argentina (10) and voluntarily in Brazil (11). The mandatory front-of-package (FOP) warning label system, combined with marketing restrictions and bans on sales in schools, adopted in Chile, represents a prominent policy action to address chronic non-communicable diseases (12). However, despite robust evidence on the health risks of excessive sodium intake and established international targets, efforts to increase public awareness and engagement with the food industry remain limited (13). In this context, this session will discuss key barriers and facilitators of current sodium reduction strategies and highlight compelling evidence supporting the use of potassium-enriched salt as an innovative approach to preventing and managing hypertension while reducing cardiovascular risk, using country case studies to demonstrate public health impact.
CONCLUSIONS:
Integrated policies combining regulation, fiscal measures, industry engagement, education, potassium-enriched salt substitution, and communication are needed to reduce sodium intake and promote sustainable behaviour change. This session will foster scientific exchange among peers, supporting an interdisciplinary public health dialogue on population-level hypertension prevention and cardiovascular risk reduction.
Hypertension is a major global public health challenge and a leading cause of cardiovascular mortality (1, 2). Excessive sodium intake significantly increases cardiovascular risk and health system costs (3, 5), and despite public health strategies implemented worldwide, population-level consumption remains above recommended limits (6,7).
METHODS:
This Organized Session proposes to evaluate existing public policies for sodium reduction and to discuss feasible strategies at the macro, meso, and micro (individual) levels to support the development of sustainable and effective public health interventions.
RESULTS:
Current policy strategies include food reformulation, consumer education, front-of-pack labelling, interventions in public institutional settings such as schools, hospitals, and workplaces, taxation of high-salt products (8), and switching discretionary salt to potassium-enriched salt (9). The reformulation of industrialized foods has been adopted through mandatory sodium targets for bread in Argentina (10) and voluntarily in Brazil (11). The mandatory front-of-package (FOP) warning label system, combined with marketing restrictions and bans on sales in schools, adopted in Chile, represents a prominent policy action to address chronic non-communicable diseases (12). However, despite robust evidence on the health risks of excessive sodium intake and established international targets, efforts to increase public awareness and engagement with the food industry remain limited (13). In this context, this session will discuss key barriers and facilitators of current sodium reduction strategies and highlight compelling evidence supporting the use of potassium-enriched salt as an innovative approach to preventing and managing hypertension while reducing cardiovascular risk, using country case studies to demonstrate public health impact.
CONCLUSIONS:
Integrated policies combining regulation, fiscal measures, industry engagement, education, potassium-enriched salt substitution, and communication are needed to reduce sodium intake and promote sustainable behaviour change. This session will foster scientific exchange among peers, supporting an interdisciplinary public health dialogue on population-level hypertension prevention and cardiovascular risk reduction.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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