There's a simple solution to our salt addiction - we must adopt it now

Efforts to curb the amount of sodium we eat have mostly failed, so governments must now try a new strategy: adding potassium to table salt.

Back in 1960, most of the world’s population was deficient in the micronutrient iodine, with severe consequences for public health. By 2020, only 21 countries were iodine-deficient – down from 113 in 1990 – and 90 per cent of people were consuming enough.

The solution? Adding iodine to table salt. Iodisation of the salt supply was strongly supported by the salt industry and governments, and is arguably one of the most effective public heath interventions of all time.

In 2024, the world is facing a similar public health crisis. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the leading cause of illness and death. A major contributory factor is excessive consumption of sodium, which elevates blood pressure. But as we report in “How to easily satisfy your salt cravings without damaging your health“, new research suggests a similarly straightforward fix is at hand: potassium-enriched salt.

That could be a game changer because efforts to reduce sodium intake have failed for various reasons, not least because people like salty foods. Governments and industry must also shoulder some blame. Processed food manufacturers have been slow to enact salt reduction targets while the salt industry has tried to cast doubt on the efficacy and safety of salt reduction, in part by promoting the idea that getting too little is as harmful as having too much.