Updated PAHO Regional Sodium Reduction Targets

ABSTRACT

This publication presents the set of new and revised Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Regional Sodium Reduction Targets 2021–2025 adopted by the PAHO Technical Advisory Group on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention through Population-wide Dietary Salt Reduction. It also provides an overview of the methodological approaches taken to expand the number of food categories and to generate the revised targets. PAHO and the World Health Organization have called on countries to strive for a 30% relative reduction in mean population intake of salt/sodium by 2025. Although there have been significant advances in policies or interventions in the Region of the Americas, more accelerated action is needed to reduce cardiovascular disease and other diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) by reducing sodium intake. Member States have demonstrated that it is feasible to reduce sodium levels in food products by setting national or regional sodium targets. These updated harmonized sodium reduction targets are a tool for governments to boost progress towards achieving a reduction in the NCD burden. They are designed to complement existing and ongoing national efforts and initiatives, and are intended to serve as a regional reference, and for the monitoring of sodium content in food products.