Impacts of sodium reduction policies on the reformulation of food products: a comparative analysis of sodium content and additive use in Brazil and Australia

• Grant number: 25/04046-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Natalie Marinho Dantas
• Grantee: Natalie Marinho Dantas
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: Campinas
• Associated researchers: Adriana Pavesi Arisseto Bragotto ; Alline Artigiani Lima Tribst ; Juliana Azevedo Lima Pallone ; Priscila Pereira Machado
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/22214-0 - Analysis of sodium and additive content in processed foods: a comparison between Brazil and Australia (2021-2024), BP.MS; 25/22394-8 - Composition, nutritional labeling and compliance of packaged foods with sodium regulations: a longitudinal Brazil-Australia analysis (2021-2026), BP.DR

Abstract

Brazil and Australia have data revealing the high sodium consumption in their populations, a concern of the global public health agenda. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a goal to reduce global salt consumption to 5 g/day (2,000 mg of sodium), aiming for a 30% reduction by 2025. This measure is based on evidence linking high sodium intake as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and other illnesses, the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Despite global efforts, the WHO's target is far from being achieved globally, making it essential for sodium reduction policies to be developed in conjunction with other public health initiatives, such as food reformulation and front-of-pack labeling, with close collaboration between governments and the food industry. Front-of-pack nutrition labeling (FOPL) was recently implemented in Brazil, and voluntary sodium reduction targets for processed foods were established in Australia. In this context, assessing the impact of public policies on sodium reduction and food reformulation by the industry is crucial for fostering scientific evidence in this public health agenda and regulatory aspects of food. Research on food reformulation from the perspective of sodium reduction and increased additive use in food products is lacking in both countries. Therefore, this project aims to assess the impact of sodium reduction policies on the reformulation and nutritional labeling of processed foods in Brazil and Australia. (AU)