Is there any legislation governing the level of salt in food?

Sean Gilbride, Ireland

Like other food ingredients, salt is a natural and normal food ingredient. Foods in which this ingredient has been used are considered to be safe. There is no legislation governing the level of salt in food, except for foods for special dietary purposes such as infant formulas or clinical foods.

The main EC requirements in this area are contained in the Directive (2000/13/EC), on the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs. Its basic requirements are, in general terms, to inform consumers about the nature and content of the product, shelf-life and storage conditions, any necessary information about its storage, handling and preparation, the identity of the manufacturer or distributor, information on its origin, where necessary, and the quantity in the package. Other information such as the salt content can be declared on the label on a voluntary basis. But when a nutrition claim with regard to salt has been made, e.g. “low sodium/salt”, nutrition labelling would become mandatory.