Most bread sold in Qatar uses permitted levels of salt

Salt intake of less than 5gm per day for adults helps to reduce blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and coronary heart attack. Also, reducing the intake of salt at a population level has been identified as one of the most cost-effective measures that any country can take towards improving the health status of its people. Reducing salt in bread is an easy and effective way of lowering salt intake across the whole population in Qatar. The initiative has paved way for future strategies towards lowering salt, sugar, and fat from the diet to improve the health status of the population as a whole.With regards to the bread sold in Qatar, there has been a vast improvement and continuous monitoring on the salt content in bread. The MoPH participated in a survey conducted by World Action on Salt and Health (WASH) in March 2018 where the bread sold in all supermarkets were evaluated and compared to the international standards and it was found that 96.2% of bread sold in Qatar falls within the recommended amount of salt per 100g serving.Findings from the 2014 National Iodine Deficiency Disorder Survey among Primary School Children aged 6-12 in Qatar 4 showed that the daily average salt intake was 13g while the WHO recommendation is less than 5g. Bread contributes to around 20% of salt intake in most countries, in addition to the significant intakes from table salt added during food cooking and serving. Cheese and pickles are also thought as major sources of salt intake in the EMRO region. The National Household Income and Expenditure Survey in Qatar 2012/2013 concluded that a total of 35% of the expenditure on total carbohydrate/cereal comes from bread among the population (Qatari and non-Qatari).Recent scientific evidence suggests that eating too much salt from early years of childhood can inevitably increase blood pressure levels from a young age and continue into adulthood, increasing the individual’s risk of strokes, heart attacks and other attributable NCDs. Eating too much salt can negatively affect health as it leads to many detrimental health outcomes including but not limited to high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. However, many people are under the assumption that salt in the diet is only a cause for concern in the later years of life. The results of the 2012 STEPwise survey conducted in Qatar highlighted the importance of placing more efforts in reducing salt intake among the population. According to this survey, it was reported that 32.9% of adults (male and female) have high blood pressure. Data on average salt intake in the Eastern Mediterranean region is limited to a few countries, however the consumption pattern of salt intake is considered to be the highest in the world; reaching a level of 17g/d/person in some countries.