Salt. UK consumers’ perceptions and consumption patterns

• UK consumers’ uncertain how much salt they consume in daily diet.
• Consumers are unclear how salt affects health.
• UK salt public health campaigns have limited relevance to consumers.

This study investigated UK consumers’ perceptions, knowledge and understanding of the salt they consume in their diet and the significance of this for their health. Ten focus groups were conducted in two UK cities (Norwich and London) with a total of 72 participants. Most participants were unaware of the advised salt guidelines (6 g per day), or what this equated to within their diet, mainly because they were unclear about how much salt they consumed, given that much is ‘hidden’ in pre-prepared foods. However, participants were aware of the link between high salt intake and certain negative health associations, though they were unsure about the precise connection. As such, consumption practices were largely driven by habit and lifestyle choices, rather than health considerations. The paper concludes by suggesting that further salt awareness campaigns are needed and that these should be made more relevant to consumers by addressing specific knowledge deficits (such as the presence of ‘hidden’ salt), although given the intractable nature of human behaviour, more direct efforts to lower salt content (e.g. through manufacturing changes) might be required.