Cereal Manufacturers Dispute FSA Ads Warning of Excessive Salt Content

The Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers (ACFM) has reportedly asked the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) to delay a forthcoming public health initiative that warns of excessive salt content in cereals and other products. Slated for release next month, the TV and radio advertisements are part of an ongoing FSA effort to reduce the average adult’s salt consumption to 6 grams per day by 2010. According to the agency, the latest £3 million salvo in this campaign does not seek to explicitly “demonize” cereal manufacturers, but instead targets all food products that contain salt.

FSA has since declined to pull the commercials, but has praised ACFM members for reducing the salt content of their products by 44 percent since 1998. The cereal trade group has also reiterated that cereals account for less than 5 percent of the total salt consumed by UK adults. “We don’t believe it’s appropriate, considering the volume of salt we actually deliver to the UK diet,” one company spokesperson was quoted as saying. See ACFM Annual Statement, January 31, 2009; FoodNavigator-USA.com, September 3, 2009.