*4.3. Reduction in Sodium/Salt Content*

In the present work, no reduction of sodium content was obtained over time either in the total food sample or in any of the nine food groups analysed. Previous papers have shown diverse outcomes. A study in Canada compared more than 6000 foods/year in 2010 vs. 2013 [32]. The authors found a significant reduction of sodium content only in 16.2% of foods categories, while no changes were observed in 81.9% of them [32]. An analysis performed in Costa Rica on more than 1000 foods/year showed decreased mean sodium content in 3 out of 18 food categories, cakes being one of them [27]. Similarly, an Indian work with 1407 products, only found a reduction in ready meals and canned vegetables, while sodium increased in 5 out of 29 food categories [30]. A paper studying salt content in sauces in the UK showed a significant reduction in median salt content in eight out of seventeen sauce categories [31].

A comparison of 219 matched products did not show a reduction in sodium content in the present paper (2017–19 vs. 2020–21). A report by the Spanish Government compared matched or similar products between 2009 and 2012 [35]. They found that sodium content decreases in breakfast cereals, soups, canned fish/seafood and industrial bread. On the contrary, sodium values increased in processed meat and sauces, which is in line with our results [35].

No changes in sodium content over time were found in a study in New Zealand comparing 182 products in 2003 vs. 2013 [33]. The same results were obtained in a food sample in Slovenia (98 foods, 2011 vs. 2015) [29]. However, an overall reduction of 23% in sodium content was obtained in a sample of 130 foods in the Australian market in 2013 vs. 1980 [34]. The comparison of 2979 matched products in the USA showed a statistically significant reduction of sodium content in 13 out of the 14 food groups analysed (2009 vs. 2015) [28].

As it seems, there is not a consensual reduction in sodium/salt content in foods in recent years. Neither the Spanish Plan for the Improvement of the Composition of Food, Beverages and Other Measures 2020 [26] has produced an effective decrease in sodium content in snacks, processed meat and sauces, according to our results. It is feasible that changes may only be detected in large samples, due to variability and bias in the collected information. However, the most probable reason is that the sodium content in foods has not really decreased over the last years.
