Food and the responsibility deal: how the salt reduction strategy was derailed

Poor diet is now the biggest cause of death and ill health in the United Kingdom and worldwide.1 2 Eating too much salt and saturated fat raises blood pressure and cholesterol, respectively, both of which are leading risk factors for death.3 Consuming too much energy from unnecessary sugar and fat causes obesity and type 2 diabetes, a rapidly increasing cause of death and disability.4

Most of the foods that industry currently provides are very high in salt, fat, and sugars and are therefore more likely to cause cardiovascular disease and predispose to cancer than healthier alternatives.5 This is particularly true for people of low socioeconomic status as they tend to eat more cheap, processed foods.6 The food industry is the biggest and most powerful industry in the world, so robust mechanisms should be set up to control it in a similar way to the tobacco industry.7 If the food industry were made to produce healthier food, it would result in major reductions in both cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as healthcare costs.5

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) was set up in 2000 to deal with bovine spongiform encephalopathy and was also made responsible for nutrition. It was made independent from ministerial control but could report to parliament through the public health minister. The independent …