NEW DELHI: Large unorganised food retail and lack of implementation of existing policies are among the key reasons why India is failing to reduce dietary salt and continues to face a rapidly increasing burden of hypertension and heart diseases, a new study by Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), published in PLOS says.

It also indicated social and cultural beliefs, among other important barriers that have resulted in the reduced salt intake in India. Despite a national action plan and a multisectoral approach, India has failed to control the incidence of non communicable diseases, the findings said.

Salt intake among adult Indians has been found to be high and exceeding the levels recommended by the World Health Organisation.

Stakeholders from the food industry reported that there might be decreased sales if salt is reduced in their products.

The study recommended awareness generation among consumers, promotion of salt reduction by processed food industry, and implementation of consumer-friendly food labelling.

The qualitative study was conducted in Delhi, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh in both rural and urban areas. The researchers of the study reported that high salt intake requires an India-specific salt reduction strategy by the government to control the rising burden of high blood pressure or hypertension.

Limited information is available on how to implement salt reduction in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as India, where the burden of hypertension and CVD is increasing rapidly, the study said.

Researchers also interviewed various stakeholders from the government food industry, civil society and consumers to obtain their perspective on a potential salt reduction strategy for the country.

Nearly 61% of deaths in India are currently attributed to non-communicable diseases, primarily cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer, according to estimates of WHO. The UN agency has also warned countries including India against premature deaths.

Cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and hypertension contribute around 45% of all NCD deaths.

While international agencies have been pressing for accelerated government action in this direction, the PHFI study has appreciated government’s efforts. “The development and adoption of the National Multi-sectoral Action Plan to reduce premature non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India, provides a potential platform that can be leveraged to drive, implement and monitor salt reduction efforts,” authors of the study said.

NCDs like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer are the leading causes of death worldwide contributing to 70% of total deaths. In India, over 58 lakh die due to NCDs annually.

