1. REDUCE SALT TO “GAIN” HEALTH
A shared commitment, without the need for sacrifices

3. REDUCE SALT TO “GAIN” HEALTH
A shared commitment,
without the need for sacrifices

4. Mediterranean Diet Pyramid
A contemporary approach to delicious, healthy eating
(Barilla adaptation from Oldways Preservation and Exchange Trust)

5. FOOD AND NUTRITION: A STORY OF COMMITMENT AND PASSION
For over 130 years, Barilla has been the Italian Barilla’s commitment is expressed in the way it
family company that has seen food as a communal shares the culture of the Mediterranean Nutri-
event, filled with flavour and love, helping people tional Model, as a positive, contemporary model
live better. for choosing to eat foods that are good for us and
the world in which we live.
Barilla is the company that helps to safeguard
and improve people’s wellbeing and health:
• by transforming high quality nutritional
ingredients into tasty, healthy foods that satisfy
the daily nutritional needs of the whole family;
• by developing its own products that respect the
Mediterranean Nutritional Model and the
environment.
We genuinely believe that this twofold goal of
protecting people’s health and the environment is
achievable: the Mediterranean Nutritional Model
is the fundamental benchmark for promoting the
right, healthy eating habits, and the foods that are
the basis for this Model are also the ones that have
the least impact on the environment.

6. WHY IT IS
IMPORTANT TO
REDUCE SALT INTAKE

7. Moderating your daily
intake of salt has a positive
influence on the health
of your heart and your
circulation
We need some salt. We have used it for centu- Figure 1 - Sources of the salt consumed every day (Europe and
ries to preserve and flavour foods and it is the North America): 4
body’s main source of sodium, an essential 77% from processed
or restaurant foods
element for life, but not one that should be
13% added in the
eaten in excess. Salt is 60% chlorine and 40% kitchen or at the table
sodium. 10% present
naturally in foods
The sources of sodium in food, as shown in figure 1,
are:
processed foods, as well as those eaten outside
the home;
the salt added by cooks in their own kitchen
or at the table;
natural foods (fruit, vegetables, meat etc).
SALT: DO WE EAT TOO MUCH? tion (SINU), we eat too much salt. 5,6 We should
According to statistics, both in the USA and in be eating a total of one teaspoon of salt a day
Europe, 1,2,3 salt intake is too high, at levels of up (including the salt naturally contained in food)
to (and in some cases over) 9-10 grams a day.3 and yet our daily average reaches and sometimes
In Italy too, according to the Italian National exceeds 10g a day (1 heaped tablespoon).
Research Institute for Food and Nutrition (IN-
RAN) and the Italian Society for Human Nutri-
5

8. WHY TOO MUCH SALT IS DANGEROUS?
How much salt is there in the foods Too much sodium in the body can be dangerous:
we eat? because of its effect on blood pressure;
(Taken from INRAN. Food composition tables) 7
because of the impact on health caused by
Food Amount of sodium cardiovascular diseases;
(mg/100g for for the potential effects on stomach cancer.8
example)
Dry-cured ham, without bones 2.238
In contrast, reducing salt intake has a docu-
Pecorino cheese 1.800
mented positive effect on blood pressure, and so
Bresaola 1.597
from that on the health of our heart, arteries and
Tomato ketchup 1.120 brain. Even a modest reduction in the daily intake
Crisps, in a bag 1.070 of sodium can bring with it a positive impact on
Taleggio cheese 873 people’s health and major benefits in terms of
Uncooked frankfurter 793 healthcare costs. 9
Tomato pizza 775 Scientific studies spanning more than forty years
Rye bread 580 on around 177.000 people from different coun-
Milk rolls 460 tries show that five grams less salt a day results
Emmental 450 in a relative reduction in the risk of a heart attack
Beans - Cannellini in a tin, drained 431 (- 17%) or a stroke (- 23%).10
Croissants 390
Tuna, in oil, drained 316 Figure 2 - Estimated effects of reducing salt by
Whole hen’s egg 137
Fresh salmon 98 -23%
ris
risk of a stroke
Mixed frozen vegetables: peas, corn, 59
carrots, beans
-5 g
Whole milk yoghurt 48
salt/day
Cutting chicory 7
Salad tomatoes 3 -17%
ri
risk of a heart
Bananas 1 attack
Fresh apples (Renetta) trace
Calculated by Strazzullo et al. 2009
6

9. THE “GAINING HEALTH”
PROGRAMME

10. Reducing salt in foods: Among other recommendations, the initiative
encourages the primary manufacturers and food
a strategic objective processing industry to gradually reduce the level
in Italy and the world of salt added to products. 11
The majority of sodium intake from food is not
from adding salt when cooking or at the table,
but rather from industrially manufactured food
and food that we eat outside the home, as shown
Since 2009, the EU has compiled recommenda- in figure 1. 4
tions, based on the World Health Organisation In a country like Italy, bread and pizzas (as well as
(WHO) recommendations, for reducing salt in salamis and cheese) are consumed in very high
foods. Italy has demonstrated its commitment quantities. So reducing the amount of salt used
to these recommendations with its “Guadagnare when preparing foods, such as bread for example,
salute - Rendere facili le scelte salutari” (Gain- can make a valuable contribution to our health
ing health - Making healthy choices easy) pro- and wellbeing, without forcing us to make exces-
gramme, launched by the Ministry of Health. sive sacrifices.
Five critical years for health
2006 The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a reduction in daily salt intake given its
impact on health.3
2007 The European Union adds a similar recommendation in its white paper, “A Strategy on Nutrition,
Overweight and Obesity-related health issues”.2
2008 In the USA, the National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI) is launched, based on the British model,
in response to the continued excessive consumption of salt.3
2009 Europe too adopts the “National Salt Reduction Initiative”, aimed at continuing initiatives inten-
ded to reduce salt intake, with a particular focus on 12 food categories including bread.2
2010 The Council of Europe officially recommends the pursuit of this goal.12
The Italian Ministry of Health launches the “Guadagnare salute - Rendere facili le scelte salutari”
(Gaining health - Making healthy choices easy) programme.11
8

11. BARILLA’S
COMMITMENT
Focusing on over 100 BARILLA IS SIGNED UP TO THE “GAIN-
ING HEALTH” PROGRAMME
products, the company will Alongside its commitment to adopting the Medi-
reduce the salt used in terranean Model as a cultural and nutritional point
the production process by of reference, Barilla has also established its
11% by the end of 2011 own Nutrition guidelines for the development
of new products. These include limits for salt,
fat, fibre and sugar content, inspired by interna-
tional guidelines and also backed up by scientific
9

12. Barilla’s strategy to reduce salt in its products
• Reduce salt gradually to help people get used to the taste;
• Rebalance the aromatic profiles of products;
• Use different proportions of the key ingredients.
research. As far as salt is concerned, Barilla’s par- than 100 products, the company will remove over
ticipation to the “Gaining Health” programme has 600 tonnes of salt overall (equivalent to 11% of
helped it achieve a significant reduction in the salt the salt used by the company), mainly in breads,
content of some categories of its food products crackers and prepared sauces. A large proportion
marketed in Italy and Europe, all in a very short of the products in these categories did not need
time. adjustments, as they were already in line with the
In particular, by the end of 2011, working on more reduced salt levels.
Already less salt from 2011:
Product groups Average salt reduction in reformulated products
(considerable variations from product to product)
Mulino Bianco pani soffici (soft bread) - 17%
Harry’s pani soffici - 13%
Wasa crispbread - 19%
Mulino Bianco and pavesi dry bread substitutes - 20%
Barilla tomato-based sauces - 23%
Barilla pasta ripiena (filled pasta) - 23%
For more information contact:..................................
10 www.gruppobarilla.it

13. 11

14. HOW TO CUT DOWN
ON SALT WITHOUT MAKING
UNNECESSARY SACRIFICES

15. Reduce or moderate
Ten simple suggestions for cutting
salt intake is our down on salt (from the National
responsability: it is not as Research Institute for Food and
difficult as it may seem Nutrition-Italy):7
1
Both at the table and in the kitchen,
gradually reduce the amount of salt you
2
add to food
Avoid putting a salt shaker on the table
and reduce the amount of salt used in
3
cooking and for seasoning
As well as the salt reduction achieved by Barilla Do not add salt to baby food, at least for
4
and the “Gaining Health” campaign, every one of the whole of your child’s first year. Reduce
us personally affects our own health. Reducing the use of alternative seasonings that
contain sodium
the amount of salt in our diet is not as difficult
Remember that salt enhances flavours
5
as it might sound. and it can be an essential ingredient in
cooking, but some foods don’t need salt
to taste good
A FEW HANDY COOKING TIPS
6
Use raw or frozen rather than canned
vegetables
Add some chopped herbs in lemon juice (or vinegar) to
marinate food before you roast it Reduce your consumption of foods with
7
a high salt content, and get used to choo-
Add some chilli peppers when cooking to enhance the sing less salty alternatives, by reading the
flavour of pasta or sautéed vegetables nutritional information on products
8
Add handful of carrots, celery and onion in water when Even when you’re in a restaurant, choose
boiling food dishes that are not too salty
Use spices, herbs, lemon juice and vinegar
9
Add dusting of nutmeg for potatoes or cauliflower to “trick” your palate
Add sage, bay, juniper berries and garlic for roasts Only drink water to replenish the liquids
lost during physical activity
10 Follow the Mediterranean model as clo-
sely as possible by eating fresh foods that
have been processed as little as possible
and are naturally low in salt.
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16. REFERENCES AND SOURCES
1. Bernstein AM, Willett WC. Am J Clin Nutr 2010;92(5):1172-80.
2. UE - European Commission Public Health. National Salt Initiatives. June 2009.
3. WHO - World Health Organization. Creating an enabling environment for population-based salt reduction strategies. July 2010.
4. Brown IJ, Tzoulaki I, Candeias V, Elliott P. Int J Epidemiol 2009;38(3):791-813.
5. INRAN. Il sale? Meglio poco. Linea Guida n.6. http://www.inran.it/fi les/download/linee_guida/lineeguida_06.pdf
6. SINU Società Italiana di Nutrizione Umana. LARN Minerali. http://www.sinu.it/larn/mineral1.asp#SODIO
7. INRAN. Tabelle di composizione degli alimenti. http://www.inran.it/646/tabelle_di_composizione_degli_alimenti.html
8. World Health Organization. Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases. Report of a Joint WHO/FAO Expert Consultation.
WHO Technical Report Series, No. 916. Geneva World Health Organization 2003.
9. Bibbins-Domingo K, Chertow GM, Coxson PG et al. N Engl J Med 2010;362(7):519.
10. Strazzullo P, D’Elia L, Kandala N - B, Cappuccio FP. BMJ 2009;339:b4567.
11. Ministero per la Salute. Poco sale per… guadagnare salute. http://www.salute.gov.it/imgs/C_17_pubblicazioni_605_allegato.pdf
12. Heart Wire. Réduction du sel alimentaire: les Européens passent aux actes. The Heart.org 2010. http://www.theheart.org/article/1107511.doc
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