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Home > Ministers > The Hon Catherine King MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing > Media Hub > Hold the Salt: Simmer Sauces and Processed Meats

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PDF printable version of Hold the Salt: Simmer Sauces and Processed Meats (PDF 35 KB)

The sodium content of many simmer sauces and the sodium and saturated fat content of many processed meats will be reduced under a voluntary agreement with leading food manufacturers and retailers, the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Catherine King, said today.

The commitment – made between the Australian Government’s Food and Health Dialogue and leading manufacturers and retailers – will cover more than 85 per cent of the market share for simmer sauces currently sold in Australia and 95 per cent of the market share for processed meats.

“I commend the efforts of simmer sauce and processed meat manufacturers and retailers for committing to reduce the levels of sodium and saturated fat in their products,” Ms King said.

“Research has found that consuming too much sodium (a major component of dietary salt) is linked to high blood pressure and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

“As well, saturated fat consumption contributes to the risk of heart disease by raising blood cholesterol.

“With processed foods forming the bulk of the food supply for sale in Australia, manufacturers, processors and retailers have an increasingly important role to play in securing the health and wellbeing of the Australian community.

“What people eat has a major impact on their health. It’s pleasing that the food industry is keen to work with the Government to provide healthier products to consumers,” Ms King said.

This is the second round of targets announced under the Food and Health Dialogue, and follows the commitment by the food industry to reduce the sodium content of leading bread and breakfast cereals sold in Australia.

Chaired by Ms King, the Food and Health Dialogue includes nominated members from the Australian Food and Grocery Council, the Heart Foundation, Woolworths, the Public Health Association of Australia, CSIRO, the Quick Service Restaurant Forum and Queensland Health (representing state and territory governments).

6 April 2011

For more information, please contact the Parliamentary Secretary's Office on (02) 6277 4230

What Has Been Agreed

Leading manufacturers General Mills, AB World Foods, Goodman Fielder Home Ingredients, Mars Food Australia, Nestle Australia Ltd, Simplot Australia, SPC Ardmona and Unilever Australia Ltd, as well as major retailers Woolworths, Coles and ALDI, have agreed by the end of 2014 to:

• reduce by 15 per cent the sodium content of pasta sauces, Indian-style sauces and other simmer sauces that exceed 420 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams; and
• reduce by 15 per cent the sodium content of Asian-style simmer sauces that exceed 680 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams.

Companies have committed to reducing the amount of sodium contributed to the Australian diet and, to make this most effective, have agreed to target those simmer sauces that contribute the largest amount of sodium to the diet.

In the case of processed meats, manufacturers Bertocchi, D’Orsogna, Fibrisol Service Australia, George Weston Foods, Myosyn Industries, Primo Smallgoods, Ridders Fresh/Tibaldi' and retailers Woolworths, Coles and ALDI have agreed, by the end of 2013, to:

• reduce the sodium content of bacon and ham/cured meat products to 1090 milligrams per 100 grams;
• reduce the sodium content of emulsified luncheon meats to 830 milligrams per 100 grams; and
• reduce by 10 per cent the saturated fat content of cooked/smoked sausages and luncheon meats (excluding salamis) that exceed 6.5 grams of saturated fat per 100 grams.

The products to be reformulated and the amount of sodium and saturated fat reduction per year will be determined by the individual companies involved.

For more information on the Food and Health Dialogue, including agreed reformulation activities, please see: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/food-health-dialogue