Salt reduction campaign takes aim at Chinese diet  

中国启动减盐计划力促降低公众食盐摄入量

中国盐业总公司12日向全国盐行业发出倡议，启动中国盐业科学用盐促进健康行动计划。

Beijing (CNS) -- China National Salt Industry Corporation (CNSIC) has initiated an action plan to advocate scientifically-based and healthy salt consumption across the country, they announced on Tuesday. The campaign aims to lower Chinese salt intake.

Chinese citizens generally eat more salt than necessary. The World Health Organization recommends no more than six grams of daily salt for each person, but salt intake per person per day is 10 to 12 grams in southern China, and 15 to 22 grams in northern China.

This May, the Ministry of Health and other 14 Chinese governmental departments inked a work plan for the prevention and control of chronic diseases in China. A key feature of the plan is to lower the daily intake of salt in China by nine grams by 2015. A healthy diet is low in salt, fat, sugar and calories.

Mao Qingguo, general manager of CNSIC, said the appeal goes out to the whole salt industry as well as society at large to promote a healthy, scientific balance of salt intake.