The Public Health Ministry has announced measures to reduce salt and sodium consumption, aiming to reduce the problem of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin chaired the National Policy Committee on Salt and Sodium Consumption Reduction to reduce NCDs on Monday saying Thai people consumed salt and sodium much higher than a standard recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
He said a 2009 ministry survey indicated that Thais consumed 4,351.69 milligrams (mg) of sodium per person per day from their diets, which is twice the WHO's recommendation of 2,000mg per day. More than 22 million Thais suffer from diseases related to sodium consumption, such as high blood pressure, kidney disease, heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease.
"We have pushed forward the policy to reduce salt and sodium consumption since 2016 as our goal is for Thai people to have good health and stay away from NCDs," he said. However, the policy has not been fully implemented.
Dr Panumas Yanwetsakul, director-general of the Department of Disease Control (DDC), said this year's salt and sodium reduction strategy consists of establishing, developing, and growing a collaborative network of stakeholders to monitor and reduce consumption throughout all provinces.
The government will also increase public understanding and awareness about reducing consumption through multiple channels, both online and offline, and support low-sodium products by introducing "Healthier Choice" or "Healthier Logo" labels to identify low-sodium foods, he said.
Meanwhile, the Kidney Friends Association of Thailand (KFAT), together with the Salt Reduction Network, the Kidney Association of Thailand, and the Foundation for Consumers conducted a survey of nutritional information in food products from May to June this year.
KFAT President Tanapol Dokkaew said the survey collected 302 samples of instant food and 105 samples of seasonings. It found that 236 samples of instant noodles including egg noodles, vermicelli and glass noodles contained sodium content ranging from 210-7,200mg per serving, with 13 samples having increased sodium values, and 15 samples having decreased sodium values when compared to its previous survey in 2021.
A total of 47 samples of porridge and rice soup have sodium content ranging from 0-1,420mg per serving, with one sample having increased sodium value and four samples having decreased sodium value.
The team also collected 19 samples of soups and it found sodium content ranging from 170-810mg per serving, and the sodium content remained the same as in 2021, he said.
"Instant food is a very popular option. Although the food is already tasty, many people still want to add saltiness such as fish sauce, soy sauce, and seasoning powder. They should realise that reducing the level of saltiness and consuming no more than 2,000mg of sodium per day will minimise the risk of numerous NCD diseases more than they think," he said.
