25-35% of all salt in a standard diet comes from bread – as a big player in the bread industry even small changes to the salt content in our recipes can have a huge effect. Our sweets category plays a role in many diets as a source of energy, saturated fat and sugar. We therefore see significant health impact opportunities across our categories and as an integrated part of our Health strategy, we have set targets to reduce the salt, sugar and fat content of our products to make it easier for consumers to choose products low in sodium and calories.

71% of consumers are aware of the health risks connected to a high intake of salt.*

Consuming Less Salt

As a category, bread and other bakery products have traditionally contributed more to salt intake than many other foods. As a matter of fact, 25-35% of all salt in the diet comes from bread. Increasing production of processed food, rapid urbanization, and changing lifestyles are transforming dietary patterns. People around the world are consuming more energy-dense foods that are high in fats, sugars, and salt.

Salt is the primary source of sodium and excess salt consumption increases the risk of high blood pressure and is thought to be responsible for at least 2.5 million deaths worldwide each year, mostly from strokes and cardiovascular disease (World Health Organization).

Reducing salt intake has been identified as one of the most cost-effective measures countries can take to improve population health outcomes and salt is therefore a public health priority. However, it’s a fact that modifying people’s taste buds is challenging now matter for how long health organizations have argued that we should consume less salt.

Still, it’s relatively easy to reduce our preference for high salt by gradually using and consuming less of it. As our taste buds adjust, high-salt foods we once enjoyed will gradually taste unpleasantly salty and thus be easier to resist.

As many other companies in the food industry, we have found that gradually lowering the sodium content of our products without claiming they are “low sodium”, can be an efficient path to consumer acceptance.

As an integrated part of our Health strategy Lantmännen Unibake has set targets to reduce the salt content of our products to make it easier for consumers to choose products low in sodium.

Our commitment

The amount that we will reduce the average salt content in our wheat bread rye bread and fast food bread with

Almost every second, 46% of consumers, claim to actively seek to reduce their salt intake. However, less than 30% believe they have been able reduce their intake over the last year.*

38% of consumers agree that the amount of salt they eat is more important for their health and wellbeing.*

*Source: Opeepl Health & Nutrition Tracker 2022

Cutting down calories