To follow the global trend of reducing salt consumption, Health Canada plans to ask the food industry to reduce the amount of sodium that is hidden in processed foods.
The Sodium Reduction Strategy will be unveiled in July but it only calls for a voluntary reduction of salt in food.
Canadians consume 3,400 mg of salt a day and Health Canada wants to reduce this to 2,300 mg per day by 2016.
Public health officials, researchers and doctors applaud the initiative but it is difficult to say whether a voluntary reduction will be enough.
Dr. Marco Di Buono is director of research at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. He says the strategy could be more aggressive and he suggests a reduction of up to 1,500 mg per day over the next ten years.
Dr. Di Buono comments: "The targets that have been set for some of these core food stuffs that represent the bulk of sodium intake from prepackaged foods is in some cases only a 20 per cent reduction. We need to go much further than the proposed targets if we are going to ultimately have an average sodium intake for all Canadians that is considered safe and healthy."
Most Canadians consume too much salt which results in high blood pressure. This is a major factor in heart disease and cerebrovascular accidents (CVA).
Ten food groups will be covered by the strategy including bakery products, cereals, dairy products, processed meats, sauces and soups.