Senator the Hon Fiona Nash ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR HEALTH MEDIA RELEASE

SALT IN FAST FOOD DOWN BUT MORE WORK TO BE DONE Assistant Minister for Health Fiona Nash welcomed research published yesterday that levels of salt in fast food are slowly but surely reducing. According to research published in The Medical Journal of Australia, a four-year study of Australian fast-food companies nutritional information has found that some franchises have lowered the levels of salt in their products by 2-3% per year. The study conducted by Dr Elizabeth Dunford from The George Institute collected sodium data from the websites of six Australian fast-food franchises Dominos, Hungry Jacks, KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Subway between 2009 and 2012. Minister Nash said the salt reduction levels were small but encouraging. We know that by lowering the salt in foods, we can make a big difference to the countrys overall health reducing high blood pressure and risk of heart attack. I am pleased to see companies are making a concerted effort to reduce levels of salt in their products and encourage others to work towards this. The Australian Government is focussed on ensuring consumers have the choice of healthy food options, and encourages food reformulation across the industry.

Media contact: Carolyn Martin, 0417 966 328