UK – Cheese manufacturers are being urged to reduce the salt content of their products in an effort to promote healthy eating.

The Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency are backing Dairy UK’s salt strategy, which plans to reduce the salt content in cheese by 5% this year, and a possible further 5% next year.

It is estimated that 4% of the dietary salt intake comes from cheese, but reducing this is particularly difficult for cheesemakers as it plays an important part in the fermentation process. Sodium-based emulsifying salts are used in a range of other dairy products.