Following the launch of the Government’s Responsibility Deal in March this year, Compass Group UK and Ireland has made a number of pledges which continue to put health and well-being at the heart of its business. One of these pledges is a commitment to reducing salt in the food it serves, government targets are to reduce salt by a further 15% by the end of 2012.
Not only is Compass already well on track and hopes to exceed this salt reduction target, it is going above and beyond this commitment by undertaking an industry first – decreasing the size of salt sachets by 25% from 0.8g to 0.6g. Purchasing nearly 40 million sachets of salt per year, the 25% reduction in sachet size – which has been achieved in partnership with Compass’ salt sachet supplier – means a decrease of 7,850kg of salt per annum for Compass – that’s nearly eight tonnes less.
According to the Food Standards Agency, (FSA) most people eat too much salt. This can raise blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. The guideline daily amount (GDA) of salt that should be consumed by adults is 6g, meaning that the new 0.6g sachets are equivalent to just 10% of an adult’s GDA.
Mick Hickman, foodservice director at Compass Group UK & Ireland, said: “This is an industry leading move, and is undoubtedly a really simple and effective way to help people reduce their daily salt intake and take healthier steps towards a balanced diet, all without them even really noticing.”
Compass is working hard to fulfil its health and well-being pledges, with a reduction in the size of salt sachets being one of the many changes, the company said. Improvements include having analysed over 2000 recipes to ensure accurate nutritional information in the form of GDAs can now be provided to customers. In addition, more than 4000 product specifications are being reviewed to ensure all artificial trans fats from the food served are removed by the end of 2011 and that Compass meets and hopefully exceeds the salt reduction targets set.
Source: Compass
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024