Salt Consumption - Policy Makers Consume Too Much Of It

Hypocrisy.

"Do as I say, not what I do" appears to be a character trait shared by several salt policy-makers in the Netherlands. According to a study in the Christmas issue published on bmj.com, one hot meal in work canteens of salt policy-makers in the Netherlands contains more salt than the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 6 grams.

Salt policy makers who eat in their work canteens consume roughly 15.4 grams of salt per day, say the team led by Dr. Lizzy Brewster at the University of Amsterdam. Compared with the recommended daily allowance this amount of salt equates to a 36% increase in premature death.

It is estimated that consuming too much salt causes 30% of all hypertension cases. In several countries programs have been established in order to encourage individuals to eat less salt.

The team concentrated on policy makers, as they believed they would be highly aware of the risk of excessive salt consumption.

They cannot follow their own advice, yet thy expect the rest of us to.