The 2024 China Food Industry Salt Reduction Practice Seminar and the Launch Ceremony for the Second Edition of the China Food Industry Salt Reduction Guide were held in Shijiazhuang on November 2. At the event, the Second Edition of the China Food Industry Salt Reduction Guide was released, aiming to promote the nutritional and healthy transformation of the food industry, facilitate the commercialization and application of salt reduction technologies, and provide nutritional support for consumer health.

Ding Gangqiang, Director of the Nutrition and Health Institute of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, stated that excessive sodium or salt intake can induce chronic diseases such as hypertension and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. China is one of the countries with the highest salt intake worldwide, far exceeding the recommended limit of ≤5 grams in the Chinese Dietary Guidelines (2022). Salt reduction is one of the most cost-effective interventions to reduce the burden of chronic non-communicable diseases.The newly released China Food Industry Salt Reduction Guide provides scientific guidance for the food industry to practice salt reduction.

The nutritional and healthy transformation of the food industry is the cornerstone of Healthy China, and salt reduction for all starts with the food industry. At the seminar, Han Junhua, Secretary-General of the Chinese Nutrition Society, interpreted the main content of the Second Edition of the China Food Industry Salt Reduction Guide. She explained that this edition, based on the 2019 version, incorporates the latest international guidelines and dynamic data on food sodium content over the past few years. Through repeated deliberation, it comprehensively updates the basic principles, goals, technical routes, and implementation measures for salt reduction in China's food industry by category. It provides guidance for the production and promotion of safe and healthy low-sodium/low-salt foods in the food industry and suggestsions for consumers to purchase and consume low-sodium/low-salt foods.

According to reports, the Second Edition of the China Food Industry Salt Reduction Guide was formulated by experts organized by the Nutrition and Health Institute of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Chinese Nutrition Society. It aims to prevent diet-related chronic diseases, targeting processed pre-packaged foods and raw materials, promoting enterprises to reduce salt usage in foods, and ultimately decreasing consumers' salt intake.

Han Junhua noted that data from China's food composition tables and the monitoring of sodium content in pre-packaged foods over the past five years show significant variations in sodium content even among similar products of the same flavor, creating feasible options for operational salt reduction. The technical principles for salt reduction in the food industry should firstly consider directly reducing the amount of sodium salt on the original basis and gradually achieving the goal of lowering sodium content in processed foods. Secondly, explore other flavors such as spicy, sour, and aromatic spices, using non-salty substances to replace sodium salt. Thirdly, consider improving processes and maintaining quality and taste by developing new low-salt formulas, gradually making it possible to achieve industry salt reduction targets.

Yang Yuexin, Chairman of the Chinese Nutrition Society, pointed out that salt reduction is an economically feasible intervention. With changes in modern lifestyles, the food industry plays an increasingly important role in salt reduction initiatives. By optimizing food formulas and utilizing labeling language, marketing, and advertising, the food industry can directly influence residents' consumption concepts and family dietary choices. Therefore, actively promoting salt reduction initiatives in the food industry and reducing the sodium content of pre-packaged foods in China is of great significance for decreasing the total sodium intake of Chinese residents and guiding healthy eating habits.

In special reports, researchers such as Xu Jiao from the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center, Cui Ying from the Nutrition Technical Officer of the WHO China Office, and Wang Shouwei, Chief Expert at the China Meat Research Center, provided in-depth insights and cutting-edge sharing for attendees from perspectives including China's salt reduction policies, global salt reduction strategies, and technological innovations in modern fermented meat products.

Yeast extracts have been widely used in the food industry for salt reduction solutions. Wang Xishan, Deputy General Manager of Angel Yeast, stated at the meeting that yeast extracts are natural nutrients extracted from edible yeast, with excellent taste enhancement characteristics. By using yeast extracts for seasoning with a 20% reduction in salt, the effect of "reducing salt without compromising taste" can still be achieved. Angel Yeast has focused on strengthening research and promotion of yeast extract salt reduction technologies and now possesses a full set of industrialized innovative technologies. Currently, Angel Yeast's yeast extract-related products are widely used in meat products, soy sauce, instant noodles, baked goods, puffed foods, dairy products, and beverages, among other food sectors. Angel Yeast is dedicated to salt reduction innovation technologies, promoting the establishment and improvement of industry standards, and better serving consumers' healthy dietary needs.

Experts attending the meeting suggested that the technical approach to salt reduction in the food industry should adopt principles such as gradual reduction, focused breakthroughs, and the use of low-sodium and salt substitutes. Efforts should be made to strengthen consumer education and training, leverage food nutrition labels and front-of-pack labels to communicate with consumers, and prioritize sharing and promoting salt reduction performance and experiences to drive a healthy eating culture and behavioral changes, fostering a new trend of salt reduction and healthy eating among the public.

About Angel Yeast

Founded in 1986, Angel Yeast Co., Ltd specializes in the production of yeast and yeast derivatives. Its product range includes baker's yeast and ingredients, Chinese dim sum and seasoning, savory yeast extract, human health, animal nutrition, plant nutrition, distilled spirits and biofuels, microbial nutrition and enzymes. At present, Angel Yeast has 11 international advanced production bases in China, Egypt and Russia, and provides products and services for more than 150 countries and regions globally.

About Angel Yeast Extract-Savoury

Angel YE (yeast extract) made from edible yeast, by degradation the protein and nucleic acid in the yeast cells into nutritional seasonings with the application of modern biotechnology, has the advantages of increasing the fresh flavor, reducing salt, balancing the odor, strong tolerance and food properties, which promotes the global healthy operation of salt reduction and "clean label ".

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